Hammed Shittu
The Kwara State Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it generated and remitted over N19 billion to the federation account in the last 29 months.
The area command also disclosed that it intercepted 3,620 rounds of live ammunitions during the period under review.
The Area Comptroller of the NCS in the state, Mr. Hussaini Bello Ahmed, disclosed this in Ilorin yesterday, while speaking with journalists on the activities of the command in the last 29 months.
He explained: “The Command has generated and remitted the sum of N9, 848,505,922.48 which surpass the revenue generated in the year 2020 with N2, 942,090,047.48. Under my leadership as the pioneer Customs Area Controller from July 2019, to December 2021 (that is about 29 Months) the command has generated and remitted N19, 159,240,134.19 to federation account.”
Ahmed also said, “the command has made seizures of large quantity of ammunition packaged in 25 packs of 25 rounds each, contained in fourteen cartons, worth N1,444,000.00.
“This landmark seizure was made around Bukuro axis in Baruten local government council area of Kwara state”.
He added, “Based on intelligence report, the command intercepted a Peugeot 504 vehicle with registration number AP 448 AKD.
“On searching the vehicle, it was found to contain a large quantity of pump action cartridges suspected to be smuggled into the country. Section 149 of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) of April, 1958 Cap 45 LFN 2004 (as amended) gives Customs officers powers to search vehicles/ships.
“It might also interest you to know that Arms and Ammunition is classified under schedule 4 of Absolute Prohibition List of the Common External Tariff of Nigeria Customs Service.
“This epic seizure is very commendable at the backdrop of the heightened insecurity in the country. Should 3,620 rounds of live ammunition of this magnitude escaped into the country and fall into wrong hands, the result will be appalling, devastating and disastrous. I wish to reinstate here that our intelligence network in the command is still very strong.
“We deploy intelligence in virtually all our operations and greater successes are continuously being recorded on daily basis and that had yielded positive results.
“For instance, the command at a time got credible information of large heaps of foreign parboiled rice from neighboring country, off-loaded at Dagi village and Arobaji axis along Mai-gida Road both in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, about to be smuggled into different parts of the country.
“We immediately mobilised officers from the command and stormed those areas. Despite resistance, threats and confrontations with charms, stones and other dangerous weapons by the perpetrators of this criminal act, officers were able to evacuate a total number of 402 bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50kg each, using about 21 official patrol vehicles to convey the goods to the Command Headquarters.”
Ahmed said further: “We wish to reiterate that the continuous attack on our officers will not deter us from performing our legitimate duties in Kwara State.
“I want to warn the perpetrators of this act to desist as any method or techniques used will be uncovered.
“We will continue to confront the challenges that militate against our successes and build on the achievements made so far in the course of carrying out our mandate.”
He, however, said that, “Within the period under review, the Command has recorded 101 seizures as against corresponding year 2020 with 84 seizures.
“These include 2,971 bags of foreign par boiled rice, 3,620 live cartridges as earlier mentioned above with a suspect
420 Jeri cans of petrol, 39 used vehicles, 20 jerry cans of vegetable oil, 17 motorcycles used as a means of conveyance of foreign parboiled rice and petrol.”
