KEY POINTS
- Customs generated ₦36.2 million in third-quarter revenue.
- Anti-smuggling efforts seized fuel, vehicles, and donkey skins.
- Command collaborates with agencies for sustainable border control.
The Nigerian Customs Service, Kebbi State Command, generated ₦36,223,554.50 in revenue during the third quarter of the year, according to the Command’s Comptroller, Iheanacho Earnest Ojike.
Kebbi Customs Command reports third-quarter revenue growth
Speaking to journalists on Friday at the Command headquarters in Birnin Kebbi, Ojike credited these accomplishments to the ongoing work of Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, which also includes progress toward reopening the Tsamiya-Sebgana border with a streamlined one-stop border post.
“A one-stop border eliminates unnecessary documentation and non-tariff procedures, enhancing trade facilitation,” Ojike said.
Despite challenges such as low import volumes through the Kamba border, the Command managed steady revenue. “As our efforts continue to yield positive results, we expect steady growth in the Command’s revenue in the coming months,” he added.
Anti-smuggling operations yield valuable item seizures
The Command’s anti-smuggling operations saw notable success, with officers seizing 367 bales of secondhand clothing, 16,300 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 74 cartons of various medicaments, eight 50 kg bags of foreign parboiled rice, and 180 pieces of donkey skin bundled in nine sacks.
Additional confiscated items included two 35 kg containers of oxidized nitric acid, one DAF truck, and a Toyota Corolla used in smuggling.
Authorities arrested five suspects linked to these seizures and granted them administrative bail, following constitutional provisions, as investigations and trial proceed.
“The Duty Paid Value of the seized items stands at ₦323,065,567,” Ojike noted. “Our field officers, intelligence unit, patrol teams, relevant units, sister agencies, and supportive Nigerians who provided intelligence made these seizures possible,” they stated.
According to Punch, in alignment with the Comptroller General’s policy of consolidation, innovation, and collaboration, the Command transferred 180 pieces of donkey skin and 74 cartons of medicaments to the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), respectively.
Ojike further warned smugglers that Command officers are well-prepared to curb illegal activities. “We urge them to desist from these illegal acts. Kebbi State must be free from all smuggling activities,” he said.
