The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that there is no truth in the claims made by Mrs. Udensi Adaeze Nwagboliwe on the social media to the effect that she was ill treated at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by a customs officer on the bases of her gender, tribe or where she comes from.
Mrs. Nwagboliwe who arrived the country onboard BA083 with passport No. A07994773 at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport had claimed that she was singled out and slammed with Customs Duty payment for one pair of shoes and “a mini boy bag” that should have been allowed to pass freely as personal effects.
However, the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, DC Joseph Attah, in a statement in Abuja on Monday noted that the woman maliciously introduced gender, tribal and other unnecessary sentiments into what was simply a case of being told to pay duty as what was in her possession was far above the allowable value of N50,000.00 and certainly beyond what normal discretion would allow.
Attah observed that “upon routine search of this passenger’s luggage, operatives discovered a Loius Vuitton bag and shoe. Obviously knowing the luxury brand (Loius Vuitton), she was asked to produce the receipt which will be the bases for duty calculation or not. She could not produce the receipt of what she claimed she bought at the duty free shop at the point of departure, saying the receipt was with her husband who did not travel with her.”
He added that the officers had to take the long route of ascertaining the current worth of her items through the internet noting that the luxury items were found to be worth N570,467.40k.
According to him, “Consequently, appropriate duty assessment of N165, 692.25k was made and given to her to pay into Federal Government coffer. Since she could not immediately go and pay, a detention notice was given to her showing that the items will remain with the Nigeria Customs Service until she pays and brings evidence of payment before they will be released to her.
“Instead of paying the assessed duty and pick up her items or request to see any superior officer should she have any reservation on the assessed value, she took to irresponsible use of the social media drawing all sorts of conjectures, gender (even when the officer, Ms Essien who attended to her is a lady), tribe etc and even inciting the public against the Service.”
He continued, “Up till now, it is not clear why this lady would descend this low as to insulting a fellow woman and declaring her not fit to perform her duty and still find it convenient to complain of being ill-treated on the bases of gender.
“Since her attempt to evade duty payment by refusing to produce receipt could not work, it appears convenient to transfer reluctance to pay tax into unnecessary public incitement.”
Attah noted that the Service was aware that many Nigerians complained about the allowable amount of N50,000.00, saying that until the law is changed, Nigeria Customs Service would continue to enforce the extant law that says personal effects shall not exceed the value of N50,000.00.
“Anything more than the approved value is considered Merchandise in Baggage and therefore liable for duty payment”, he said.
He therefore called on members of the public to disregard those conjectures while giving assurances of the Service’s resolve to treat all Nigerians with deserved courtesy and respect in the discharge of its statutory functions.
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