In line with its statutory mandate of discouraging smuggling activities across the country’s various border points, the Nigeria Customs Service, Kebbi State Command, disclosed, it has seized about 16,375 litres of petroleum motor spirit loaded into 25 litres Jerry cans in the state, along several other items confiscated.
The state Customs Command also informed, it has placed a filling station, suspected to be used for illegal smuggling of fuel under investigation.
The other items the Command seized included – 210 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 34 bales of imported used clothes, 109 cartons of confectionaries, among others.
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The Duty Paid Value of the seized items, it estimated at N23,141,803.
Speaking with newsmen in Birnin Kebbi, on Tuesday, the Customs Area Controller, Dr. Ben Oramalugo, further disclosed that in the month of March under review, the Command generated a sum of ₦144,862,372.
Oramalugo stressed that the amount already generated so far, was part of the Command’s efforts at achieving its revenue target for this year 2023, and
also part of it’s duty to discourage smuggling in the state.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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