As yuletide approaches with massive importation and smuggling through the Lagos seaports and land borders, the Comptroller General of Customs, Strike Force has intercepted contrabands and raised Debit Notes (DN) on under-declaration of cargoes worth N767million.
While the contrabands were goods smuggled into the country from neigbouring Benin Republic, the DN raised were from 13 containers falsely and under declared at the nation’s seaports in the last three weeks.
Speaking on Wednesday at the unveiling of the seizure, Ahmadu Bello Shuaibu, co-ordinator, CGC’s Strike Force, Zone A, Lagos, said a total of N350 million were raised from DN on cargoes from Tin-Can and Apapa seaports, N417 million were Duty Paid Value (DPV) of contraband smuggled into the country from neigbouring countries.
According to him, about 2,147 cartons of cosmetics; vehicles of different models; 1,185 bags of smuggled rice; 1,320 bales of textiles materials falsely declared as machinery were seized in the weeks under review.
“These seizures were as a result of our anti-smuggling effort. We have containers loaded with footwear and we know shoe is a contraband and these particular goods were falsely declared and by our statue book, classified foot wears are contrabands,” he said.
Explaining further, he said the Duty Paid Value of 935 cartons of shoes is N32 million. “Also, we intercepted 756 bales of lace materials with DPV of N34 million and the reason for seizure was that they were falsely declared as machinery. If the declaration had been honest, we wouldn’t have seized such consignment because it isn’t on the contraband list.”
Shuaibu however advised smugglers to desist from unlawful practice even as he urged importers and clearing agents to embrace honest declaration so that the correct duty would be collected.
Also speaking, Joseph Attah, National Public Relation Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, said the interception of contrabands and DN of N767 million raised in last three weeks have explained the relevance of the Strike force team to the Nigerian economy.
“Smuggling is not only for someone who brought in arms, ammunition, cocaine or someone who followed unapproved routes but someone who brought in imported dutiable items but choose to evade customs duty. The idea for false declaration is to evade appropriate payment of duty, ” he said.
Attah however explained that lace material is not contraband but the reason for false declaration is to evade duty and taxes meant for Federal Government.
Speaking on the relevance of strike force unit to the service, he said, “The implication is that some importers are deliberately shortachanging the Federal Government with needed fund to build infrastructure.”
