The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Thursday said it generated N1.022 trillion and seized 157 containers of tramadol and other illicit drugs worth N14.4 billion in 2022.
The command also arrested 60 suspects in connection with various contraband during the year under review and facilitated the export of N28.2 billion of non-oil commodities with a total tonnage of 6.4 million metric tonnes.
The Customs Area Controller of the Command, Ibrahim Yusuf Malanta, said that the revenue collected by the command was 16.07 per cent higher than the N870.388 billion collected in 2021.
According to him, from the second quarter of last year, the industry experienced a backdrop in trade, occasioned by fluctuation in the exchange rate and a sharp drop in the purchasing power by the consumers, which made trade unpredictable.
However, he said despite setbacks in the clearance value chain, the command was able to collect revenue to the tune of N1.022 trillion as revenue for the year 2022.
He added that the feat was made possible because of the command’s officers and men’s resilience in blocking revenue leakages and ensuring that all unpaid declarations and unutilised PAARs were traced and accounted to the federal government coffers.
He said, “The command has strived to move beyond its potential to ensure synergy and collaboration with other stakeholders in the port to address the menace of illicit importation. In the year under review, a total number of 157 containers with a duty paid value (DPV) of N14.4 billion were seized, as against 102 containers with a DPV of N31.8 billion seized in the year 2021.
“Our record shows that fake and prohibited drugs without necessary NAFDAC certification and overdose drugs of tramadol top the list of seizures made last year. Other items seized include codeine syrup, foreign parboiled rice, vegetable oil, processed/unprocessed wood, used clothing, etc.”
He said a total of 60 suspects were arrested in connection with some of the seizures and are at various stages of investigation and prosecution by other agencies of government.
Malanta said items exported through the Apapa Port and handled by the command in 2022 included steel bars, agricultural produce such as hibiscus, sesame seeds, cocoa, cashew nuts, ginger, soya beans, and mineral products
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