Apapa Customs Sustains Anti-Smuggling Momentum, Impounds Seven Containers laden with illicit medicaments, machetes, others worth over N292m

Apapa Customs Sustains Anti-Smuggling Momentum, Impounds Seven Containers laden with illicit medicaments, machetes, others worth over N292m

Comptroller Olomu addressing Journalists during the Press Briefing

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) under the present Comptroller General of Customs (CGC) Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR has continued to wax stronger in its mandates of Revenue Collection, Anti-Smuggling, and Trade Facilitation, as various formations under its umbrella continued to reel out quantum feats, especially in terms of revenue generation and anti-smuggling.

Comptroller Babatunde Olomu PhD, CAC, Apapa Command, NCS

For Apapa Area One Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), barely few weeks after the declaration of an unprecedented revenue collection feat of over One Trillion Naira in six months, as well as offensive seizures of contraband items by its operatives, the command have yet again had cause to brief the media on another massive offensive seizures involving items that are inimical to the corporate existence of the polity.

With a more reinforced energies geared towards clinical checks on import consignments aftermath recent offensive seizures of illegal arms, ammunition, military accoutrements, illicit drugs, among other items of security concerns, the Apapa Command of the Service from its anti-smuggling staple successfully intercepted seven (7) containers that fell short of the import prohibition guidelines from entering the country.

Comptroller Olomu flanked by DC Ibrahim Turaki (R) DC in charge of APM Terminal and other officials during the briefing

The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu PhD who made this disclosure while showcasing the Apapa Command’s recent exploits in the area of anti-smuggling, explained that the offensive seizures which were all made on Thursday 18th of July, 2024, involved a 2x40ft containers filled with about twelve thousand (12,000) pieces of cutlass and machete; 2x40ft carrying four thousand, one hundred and twenty-nine (4,129) packages of frozenhen; 1x40ft container carrying three hundred and sixty-eight (368) jumbo bales of used second hand clothing; and 1x40ft container of expired pharmaceutical.

Offloading the contents one of the seized Containers for display

Olomu who has vowed not to allow contraband or offensive items permeate through the Apapa Command under his watch, however said that the seizure forms part of the Comptroller-General of Customs policy thrust of zero tolerance for smuggling.

The Duty Paid Value (DPV) of these seized items was put at two hundred and ninety-two million, two hundred and forty-four thousand, eight hundred and fifty-seven naira (292,244,857.00).

The seized cutlasses with End User Certificate

Furthermore, the CAC pertinently noted that the above type of importation is against schedule three (3) of the revised import prohibition list of the Common External Tariff (CET) and violate section 233 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

The Customs Area Controller, BO Olomu, stated that the seizures were made following a combination of intelligence and diligent enforcement in ensuring that no consignment exits Apapa Port or any terminal under the command without undergoing proper examination.

Olomu further added that as a working principle, the command will continually sustain and improve on trade facilitation and maximum revenue collection without compromising the enforcement of our extant laws as they pertain to false declaration, concealment, under declaration and under valuation.