R
Richard Ogunsile
Guest
The Murtala Mohammed Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service announced on Thursday that it generated a total revenue of ₦144.2 billion for the federal government from January to October 2024.
In addition to the revenue collected, the command also seized 250 turtles, 23 walkie-talkies, 175 military helmets, and 50 drones that were allegedly being smuggled into the country by individuals identified as criminal elements.
Naija News reports that Comptroller Michael Toyin Awe, the Customs Area Controller for the Murtala Mohammed Area Command, shared this information while addressing the media regarding the command’s revenue performance over the past ten months.
He noted that this revenue figure exceeded the amount collected in 2023 by ₦69.92 billion.
For context, the command’s revenue for the same period in 2023 was recorded at ₦74.4 billion.
Awe credited this success to improved trade facilitation, enhanced compliance among stakeholders, and effective law enforcement measures.
To further increase revenue collection, facilitate legitimate trade and combat smuggling; the command has implemented initiatives such as streamlined clearance processes, enhanced cargo inspections, and improved intelligence gathering.
“The efforts to combat illicit trade yielded impressive results, with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of seized items amounting to ₦3.322 billion between July and October 2024.
“The seized items contravened some of the provisions of the extant laws as enshrined in the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCS Act) 2023,” he said.
The Controller disclosed that the military equipment was reportedly imported from Turkey by a criminal organization.
He indicated that one individual had been apprehended in the country of origin of the equipment at the request of the Comptroller General of Customs, Wale Adeniyi.
He further mentioned that the suspect has been formally charged in court, and efforts are underway to apprehend additional members of the organization.
“The hardware does not have any end-user certificate. The items seized are 23 pieces of walkie-talkies, 175 pieces of military helmet, 50 pieces of drones and 250 live turtles as well as illicit drugs,” he stated.
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