Q1: Seme Customs Hands Over Fake $6m Bills to EFCC, Records N350m Revenue
..Seizes Smuggled Petrol, Rice, Donkey Skins, Others
The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Border Command has handed over fake six million dollar notes to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni, during the hand over exercise on Tuesday in Seme, Badagry, also gave a breakdown of the Command’s activities in the first quarter of 2023 to journalists.
He disclosed that the Command intercepted seven tankers of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N51,075,684; 550 pieces of donkey skin worth N10, 689,504; 2,242 bags of smuggled rice; 1,160 pieces of dead rats; 1,102 pieces of dead tiny birds; 34 pieces of monkey skin and 14 parcels of cannabis sativa.
Other seizures include six Maltese International Passports with the same picture of a lady but bearing different names. Two Senegalese International Passports, Three Togolese International Passports; Four Republic of Benin International Passports, One Republic of Niger International Passport and 10 International Driving License of these various countries.
According to the CAC, the seized documents will be handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service on the orders of the CGC and in line with the Service desire to consolidate the synergy between NCS and partner agencies.
Nnadi, however, expressed dissatisfaction that the Command recorded a shortfall in export to the tune of 75,000 metric tonnes with the Command recording 40,096.47 metric tonnes exports via 1,243 trucks, a reduction from the 116,053.9 metric tonnes carried via 3,006 trucks in the first quarter of 2022.
In the area of revenue, the Command generated N350,099,541.71 in the first three month, representing 23.09 percent shortfall, when compared with the same period in 2022, which was N455,195,250.47.
Under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS), the Command facilitated 425 trucks with fees amounting to N314,720,938.71, as well as 412 baggage declarations with duty amounting to N58,844,382.
Compt. Nnadi attributed the decline in revenue generation to the cash scarcity, economic policy of the neighbouring country and the recently concluded general elections.
“Recall that I had earlier informed you that the economic policy of the Republic of Benin who charge fees on goods in transit to Nigeria constitute tariff barriers to trade along the corridor. These affected the Command’s revenue and there is a need for urgent review.
“One of the core mandates of the Service in Seme as elsewhere is trade facilitation. The Command is conscious of its strategic location as the foremost frontier for trade and tourism in West and Central Africa particularly the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) and the emerging African Continental Free Tade Area (AFCFTA).
“Nigeria has lots of potentials in both trade regimes considering its GDP. population and industrial capacity which is the highest in the West and Central Africa subregion and indeed Africa”, he said.
The CAC thanked officers and men of the Command for a job well done and appreciated them with new uniforms and shoes.
