The Nigeria Customs Service, Kwara Area Command has generated the sum
of N1.27 billion within three months of its creation.
This was contained in a statement issued and made available to Pilot
Businesa by the Public Relations Officer of the command, Chado
Zakari, on Tuesday, in Ilorin.
Zakari attributed the feat to the strategic policies and plans put in
place by the command to bring all the excise factories within its
jurisdiction under effective control by forcing them to comply with
the extant .
He said that the command generated N980,652 in August, N697,810 in
September and N572,116 in October.
Zakari added that the command had been able to make changes through
strict adherence to its driving wheel.
“This has led to the increased level of compliance by stakeholders, as
the controller is determined to make the command a haven for
legitimate trade facilitation.
“In our desirous efforts to key into the Federal Government’s policy
on agricultural development, particularly in the area of boosting
local rice production, we have made our territories unfavourable
smugglers of rice and other prohibited items.
“The area controller urged all Nigerians to embrace the Federal
Government’s policy on production of agricultural produce with
particular reference to rice for both home consumption and export for
self-reliance.
“The controller will also like to use this opportunity to reiterate
that the command has resolved to rid its area of jurisdiction off all
prohibited goods,” Zakari said.
He added that the command was complimenting the efforts of Operation
Ex-Swift Response Team, codenamed ‘Border Drill’.
“This has led to seizures of foreign rice, petroleum products and
large quantity of mosquito coils, with duty paid value (DPV) of
N25,403,500.
“The seizures were made around Okuta, Ogundele, Ilorin express road,
Jebba-Mokwa express road, Maigida-Arogaji road, Ilorin and Chikanda
axis of the state respectively.
“The area comptroller, Ahmed Bello, wants to make this clear to
economic saboteurs that the ban on importation of rice, used vehicles,
vegetable oil, second-hand clothing, used tyres and other dangerous
drugs such as Tramadol through the land borders, is still in place.
“The Kwara command is committed to enforcing this to the later,” he said.
Zakari expressed appreciation to Comptroller-General of Customs, Col.
Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.) for equipping the command with brand new
patrol vehicles and other logistics needed to make its operations more
effective and efficient.
