Kwara Customs command posts N13bn revenue in six months

The Nigeria Customs Service, Kwara Area Command, has said that it intercepted 1,153 parcels of marijuana worth N57.6m in July.

It also said that between January and June this year, it collected N13.3bn as revenue.

The Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, Faith Ojeifo, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Chado Zakari.

Giving details of the seizures, the controller explained that the contrabands were intercepted along Yamboa Axis of Bukuro, under Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State on July 3, 2024.

Ojeifo added that the contrabands were hidden in fabricated compartments and other components of a DAF Truck with registration number, T-25750-LA.

“Our operatives along Yamboa Axis of Bukuro, under Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at about 1700hrs, intercepted one Daf truck with registration number T-25750-LA suspected to be conveying prohibited items, our officers conducted a search on the vehicle in line with the provision of section 6 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023,” Ojeifo added.

According to her, while the search was ongoing, the driver, abandoned the truck and fled into the bush to evade arrest, “this action on the part of the driver triggered the interest of our operatives,”

She maintained that in line with Section 226 A&B of the Customs Service Act, 2023, the truck was immediately transferred to the command’s headquarters, Ilorin.

“After 100 per cent physical examination, the truck was found to conceal 1,153 parcels of cannabis sativa (marijuana) hidden in fabricated compartments and other components of the vehicle. The duty paid value of the seized drugs was N57.6m,” she stated.

She added that the truck valued at N21.5m would be forfeited to the Federal Government in line with the provision of Section 250 of the Customs Service Act, 2023.

Ojeifo reiterated that within the period under review, a total of 110 kegs equivalent to 2,750 litres of petrol with a duty paid value of N550,000 was seized.

The Kwara Customs boss further disclosed that in compliance with the extant laws, perishable and inflammable products were put up for public auction, with the amount generated as fees remitted to Federal Government coffers.

Ojeifo added that within the period under review, the total value of seized items was N42.7m.

“It might interest you to know that between June and July 2024, the command has generated and remitted the sum of  N3.37bn to the federation account, which brought the total amount generated from January 2024 to N13.39bn,” Ojeifo added.

She lamented that despite the current fuel scarcity some unpatriotic Nigerians still attempted to smuggle the product out of the country through the borders.

While handing over the seized hard drugs to officers of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, Ojeifo stated that the handing over of the items was to foster interagency collaboration between the service and our sister agencies.

Ojeifo advised that to combat smuggling throughout our land borders, the state, and the nation as a whole, “we would keep upping our efforts and collaborating with all relevant agencies,” Ojeifo concluded.