The Nigeria Customs Service, Kebbi State Command, has said that it has seized about 16,375 litres of petroleum motor spirit loaded into 25-liter Jerry cans in the state, along with a number of other items, in accordance with its legal obligation to deter smuggling activities across the nation’s various border points.
The state Customs Command also said that it had opened an inquiry into a filling station that was allegedly used to smuggle fuel illegally.
210 cartons of imported spaghetti, 34 bales of discarded clothing from abroad, and 109 cartons of sweets were among the other items the Command confiscated.
The estimated Duty Paid Value of the confiscated goods is N23,141,803.
Speaking with reporters in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday, the Customs Area Controller, Dr. Ben Oramalugo, also revealed that the Command generated a total of 144,862,372 for the month of March under consideration.
In addition to the Command’s efforts to meet its revenue goal for this year 2023, Oramalugo emphasised that it was also the Command’s responsibility to deter smuggling in the state.
He added that the generated ₦144,862,372, in the month under review, “represents 164 per cent of our monthly target despite elections that took place in the month, which undoubtedly affected the volume of import of goods into the country.
“As the efforts we put in place continue to translate to positive outcome, we hope to record steady rise in the Command’s revenue in the coming months throughout the year.
“We are hopeful of meeting, if not surpassing, the Command’s annual target of ₦1,058,702,466,” he stated.
The Customs boss explained that the Command was exploring ways on how to address a major challenge identified by stakeholders, on the issue of multiple taxation from our neighbouring countries before their goods arrive at Kamba, the only border currently open under the Command.
On the Command’s anti-smuggling combat tactics success story, Oramalugo informed that, “in the wee hours of Wednesday, March 29, 2023, we received credible intelligence of ongoing smuggling activities of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at an AP filling station at Yauri, in Yauri Local Government of Kebbi State.
“I instantly detailed my officers and men to the scene, stop the illegal activity and seal up the filling station. The joint patrol teams, upon arriving at the filling station, engaged in skilled mode operation by cordoning off the entire area, sealing the filling station and started evacuation of all the kegs of PMS, already loaded for onward smuggling out of the country through one of the waterways in Yauri.
“While the evacuation was ongoing, the criminals who had fled the scene upon sighting our vehicles, later mobilised themselves and came back with some thugs in order to resist the evacuation, but our men stood their ground until we received reinforcement from the Nigerian Army who helped us in dispersing the smugglers and thugs,” he disclosed.
Oramalugo, meanwhile, sent a strong warning to smugglers and their enablers in Kebbi State to desist from their nefarious acts, insisting, “We will not fold our arms and allow any filling station to be used as a conduit pipe for smuggling PMS out of the country.
“Our government pays heavily to subsidise the product for our citizens which makes it illegal and morally reprehensible for few individuals to divert it for their own aggrandisement.
“We remain resolute in frustrating their illegal ventures as we are morally and logistically equipped and have the gallantry to scuttle all their activities,” he assured.
