The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it is set to collect a N10 billion from importers of textile materials uncovered in 75 warehouses in Kano.
The recovery of the amount, according to a press statement signed by Customs spokesman Wale Adeniyi is being coordinated by a joint task force comprising operatives of the NCS and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC.).
Adeniyi said the Comptroller-General’s decision to allow the importers of the detained goods pay duty is based on the recent decision by the government to remove textile fabrics from the import prohibition list.
The move, he said, is also expected to shore up government revenue, which according to him has witnessed a downturn in recent times.
“The directive to collect duty on the textile products was given by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dikko Abdullahi, following consultations with the Federal Government and importers of the items. The imported items are currently discharged in warehouses sealed by the Nigeria Customs Service in various areas of Kano metropolis.
“In the first warehouse opened for the exercise, 14 importers turned up for assessment and duty payment for their textile items valued at about N1.5billion in the first week .The importers were expected to pay a combined import duty of N373, 307, 242.16. The assessment also showed that the goods are liable to the following additional charges:
I. N26,569,253.73 for 7% surcharge
II. N14,243,212.64 for 1% CISS levy
III. N6,767,022.49 for 0.5% ETLS levy
IV. N59,154,231.65 for Textile levy
V. N95,527,905.15 for Value Added Tax
“Total revenue payable on the first set of assessment stands at N576,161, 369.17. Another set of assessment worth over N600million is pending on the outstanding textiles in the same warehouse.
“The assessed items include 20,878 bales of printed African fabrics, 21,980 bales of high grade brocade materials, 6,127 bales of Lace materials, 554 bales of polyester materials and 30 rolls of curtail materials.
“Last month, 75 warehouses of assorted textile materials were sealed up in Kano by Customs anti-smuggling operatives , following months of undercover operations and activation of local and international intelligence networks. The warehouses were operated by foreign nationals using a handful of Nigerians as their guarantors.
“In view of the organized nature of the smuggling syndicate, the Comptroller-General of Customs has called for closer inter-agency collaboration to curb the excesses of foreign economic saboteurs who break our laws with impunity,” Adeniyi said.
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