Onne Customs Generates N70bn in Eight Months

The Area II Command of the Nigeria Customs Service at Onne Port, Rivers State, has said it generated N70 billion between January and August 2020.

It also said it recorded a total of 31 seizures involving 27 containers with total duty paid value (DPV) over N825 million from smugglers at the Onne Port.

Outgoing Comptroller of Customs, Area II Command, Rivers State, Aliyu Galadima Saidu, stated these recently while handing over to the new Comptroller of Customs, Awwal Mohammed, at the Command headquarters in Onne.

Saidu said the Command had been unrelenting in its anti-smuggling drive as it does everything lawful to encourage compliant users of the Onne Port.

He added: “Our anti-smuggling drive has been very unrelenting. While we did everything lawful to encourage compliant Port users within our area, the Command’s enforcement was hard on smugglers and non-compliant traders.

“In view of the menace of smuggling to the nation and its scourge on lives and security of the citizenry, the Command left nothing to chance to curb the ugly cankerworm which has eaten deep into our country by the perpetrators, their agents and collaborators.

“Consequently, within the period under review, the Command recorded 31 seizures involving 27 containers with total Duty Paid Value of N826 million.

“A breakdown of the seizures indicates eight bags of 50kg foreign rice; 5,615 kegs of 25 litres of vegetable oil; 3,184 bales of second-hand clothing; 1,060 pieces of used tyres; 69 logs of unprocessed wood; 641 bags of used white cement; 76 pieces of door; 1,692 cartons of foreign soap and detergents; 6,500 pieces of aluminum zinc; 5,300 rolls of royal carpets; 6,500 pieces of used canvas; 4 units of Toyota Hiace buses and 4 units of 10-tyre truck.”

The outgoing Customs Area Comptroller said the Command achieved a total of 2,402, 776 metric tonnes of export activities with free on-board value of $128.7 million within the period under review.

Saidu said: “Sequel to the federal government’s policy thrust of encouraging exports in order to maximise the benefit of accessing the international market, the Command, within the period under review, achieved a total of 2,406,776 metric tonnes of export activities with free on-board value of $128.7 million.”