Othman reiterated the Command’s drive to ensure that smuggling activities are prevented, with a warning that perpetrators of such acts will not only be arrested but also made to face the full wrath of the law.
The Customs boss, who was speaking during a visit of members of the House of Representative Committee on Customs and Excise, expressed optimism on his officers’ readiness to take over from the Destination Inspection (DI) service providers.
Meanwhile, the Command said that it collected N7. 99billion as revenue last year, as against N6.24 billion collected in 2011.
The Command also made 480 seizures of various goods including some dutiable goods for which duty payments were being evaded.
The seized items, which included vegetable oil, narcotics, vehicles, rice, frozen poultry products, textile materials, used tyres, leather shoes and bags among others, had a duty paid value (DPV) of N227million.
On the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), which was designed to encourage trade among West African countries, Othman warned that any attempt to circumvent or abuse the scheme will be detected and the consignments seized in line with the law.
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