In furtherance to the Comptroller General of Customs policy thrust of zero tolerance for smuggling, the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS has successfully intercepted seven (7) containers which falls short of the import prohibition guidelines from entering the country.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Usman who disclosed this in a statement in Lagos on Friday revealed that the command had on Thursday 18th July, 2024 intercepted 2x40ft containers carrying twelve thousand (12,000) pieces of cutlasses and machetes, 2x40ft containers carrying four thousand, one hundred and twenty -nine (4,129) packages of frozen poultry products, 1x40ft container carrying three hundred and sixty-eight (368) jumbo bales of second hand clothing and 1x40ft container of expired pharmaceuticals.
Usman put the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the intercepted items at two hundred and ninety-two million, two hundred and forty-four thousand, eight hundred and fifty-seven naira (292,244,857.00).
“It is pertinent to note that this type of importation is against schedule 3 if the revised import prohibition list of the Common External Tariff (CET) and violates Section 233 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023”, Usman said.
He quoted the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu as saying that the seizures were made following a combination of intelligence and diligent enforcement in ensuring that no consignment exit Apapa port or any terminal under the command without undergoing proper examination.
The Command’s Spokesman further quoted the Controller as adding that as a working principle, the command would continually sustain and improve on trade facilitation and maximum revenue collection without compromising the enforcement of the extant laws as they pertained to false declaration, concealment and undervaluation.
“He emphasized that the command under his leadership will continue to enforce the requirements for sister regulatory agencies like NAFDAC in the case of food and drugs and strict implementation of the end user certificate rules for products that require it from the relevant authorities like the Office if the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
“The Command’s helmsman reiterated the earlier warning issued by the CGC on the smuggling of prohibited items and restated that Apapa command will keep ensuring that only consignments that meet the integrity test of compliance test will be allowed to go through the port either as import or export cargoes.
“Finally, he appreciated the continuous existing support and cordial relationship with government agencies and promised that the seized items will be handed over to the appropriate agency for further investigation regulatory action “, the spokesman quoted the CAC as saying.
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