Customs intercept items with N1bn duty paid value in three months

The Nigeria Custom Service on Thursday in Calabar said it made a seizure of items with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N1,041, 038,508 in the months of March, June and July.

Mr Chukwudi Ogbonna, Customs Area Comptroller for Cross River/Calabar Free Trade Zone/Akwa Ibom Area Command, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Ogbonna, however, lamented the loss of stream of revenue due to non dredging of the Calabar river channel, in addition to the poor state of Calabar-Itu highway.

Speaking on the seized items, the comptroller listed them to include; 6,100 liters of Premium Motor Spirit, four bags of Pangolin scales, and medicaments, and narcotics.

He gave the DPV of only the Pangolin scales to be over N637 million.

Ogbonna also said 213 parrots heads and others were seized by the command in the months under review.

According to him, “On Wednesday, 12th March, during routine baggage inspections at the Mfun/Ekok Joint Border Station, my officers intercepted a traveller entering Nigeria from Cameroon.

“The individual was found in possession of 213 parrot heads, 29 packs of parrot feathers, 128 heads of African hornbill, and five eagle heads.

“Others items included one pack of eagle feathers, two heads, four hands, and four legs of chimpanzee.

“The seizure underscores a violation of international laws including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which Nigeria is a signatory to.

“Section 55 of the NCS Act 2023 prohibits the import/export/transit of endangered species without permits.”

He emphasised that illegal wildlife trade not only undermined Nigeria’s biodiversity but also fuelled crime, economic stability, and public safety.

The comptroller disclosed that four suspects arrested in connection with the seized items, were already being tried in court.

Ogbonna expressed gratitude to the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, for providing leadership and institutional support.

He also thanked other stakeholders, including officers and men of the command, for their resilience, dedication, and support.

He emphasised that the command under his leadership was committed to combating all forms of smuggling and enforcing customs laws.

Meanwhile, the comptroller benaomed the dwindling revenue of the command, which he attributed it to non dredging of the Calabar river channel as well as the poor state of Calabar-Itu highway.

“The Calabar Port would have been receiving between 50 to 100 vessels monthly, but non dredging of the river channel has restricted it to about two to three vessels monthly.

“What I am saying is that the depth of the channel is shallow, and that prevents lots of vessels from coming in.

“Again, the state of the Calabar-Itu road has also not helped matters; it takes three to five days for a container to get to Calabar Port from Onne because of the bad road.