The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it has generated the sum of N556.7 million in revenue from auctioning a total of 462 vehicles through its e-auction window that commenced five weeks ago.
Abdullahi Maiwada, national public relations officer of Customs disclosed this in a statement at the weekend.
“From the data generated upon completing five successful bidding windows, 13,605 applicants registered in five windows on our e-auction portal, where 476 vehicles were uploaded, and 462 won. Also, the government realised N556,738,736 as revenue,” he said.
Reacting to allegations of stealing and fraud against the Customs Auction Committee, Maiwada said that NCS is a law-abiding government organisation that is dedicated to maintaining the most outstanding levels of accountability and transparency in all its activities and taking any accusations of improper behaviour seriously.
He said the Service had categorically denied involvement in fraudulent activities or underhand dealings in the e-auctioning of vehicles or other goods.
“The NCS Auction Committee operates within the confines of the law and adheres strictly to established guidelines and procedures for disposing of seized and overtime goods,” he added.
He reaffirmed Customs’ commitment to transparency, accountability, and adherence to the rule of law in all its activities.
BusinessDay reports that Customs on Tuesday, January 16, 2023, re-opened the revamped e-auction platform to enable it to dispose of most of the seized and abandoned consignments littering the ports.
It takes place every Tuesday from 12 noon to 6 pm, providing the public with regular opportunities to select and bid for desired items.
