Kwara Custom Command Rakes in Over N1bn, Confiscates Commodity Valued at N25.4 Million in Three Months
A press Statement signed by the Public Relations Officers, Customs Area Controller, Kwara Area Command, Chado Zakari revealed that the newly created Kwara Customs Command has realised over One Billion Naira and impounded articles of merchandise worth over twenty five million Naira within 3 months of its establishment.
The statement read: “The Nigeria Customs Service, Kwara Area Command under the leadership of Comptroller Ahmed Hussaini Bello fsi has taken a giant stride by generating a whooping sum of One Billion, Two Hundred and Seventy Million, Nine Hundred and Seven Thousand, Eight Hundred and Sixty Naira Seventy Two Kobo (N 1, 270, 907,860.72) into federation account.
It will be recalled that the management of Nigeria Customs Service led by Col. Ibrahim Hameed Ali (rtd) recently unbundled and created additional Eight (8) Commands to enhance Administrative Convenience, boost Revenue Generation for the Service and effective Coverage of our land borders.
Given the recent autonomy attained, Compt. Ahmed fsi was posted as the pioneer Controller of the Command with a mandate to carry out the 3Rs transformation agenda of Comptroller General of Customs Reform, Restructure and Revenue Generation
Three (3) months into the assumption of duty, Compt. Ahmed has started on the right foot by keying into the 3Rs of Controller General of Customs whose aim is to “BOOST REVENUE GENERATION, RESTRUCTURE AND REFORMATION”
In August 2019, the Command generated Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Six Hundred and Fifty Two Naira (N 980, 652.00) while in September, the Command collected Six Hundred and Ninety Seven Million, Eight Hundred and Ten Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighty Nine Naira Fifty Kobo (N 697, 810,389.50) which shows that what was generated in the month of September tripled the Revenue generated in the month of August.
In October, the Command generated Five Hundred and Seventy Two Million, One Hundred and Sixteen thousand, Eight Hundred and Nineteen Naira twenty two Kobo (N 572,116,819.22)
This great feat was achieved due to strategic policies and plans put in place by the Command to bring all the excise factories within the Command under effective control by forcing them to comply with the extant laws. The Command has been able to make changes, by making sure that its driving wheel is strictly adhered to, which led to the increased level of compliance by Stakeholders, as the Controller is determine to make Kwara Area Command a new haven for legitimate trade facilitation.
In our desirous efforts to key into the Federal Government’s Policy on Agricultural Development in the area of boosting local rice production, the Command has made our territories unfavorable for rice smugglers and other prohibited items. The Controller urged all Nigerians to embrace Federal government fiscal policy on production of Agricultural produce with particular reference to Rice production for both home consumption and export for self reliance.
The Customs area Controller would also like to use this opportunity to reiterate that the Command’s resolved to rid the Kwara Command off all prohibited goods. The Command is already complimenting the efforts of operation Ex Swift Response Team, Code named Border Drill. This led to Seizures of foreign Rice, Petroleum Products and large quantity of Mosquito Coils with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of Twenty Five Million, Four Hundred and Three Thousand, Five Hundred Naira (N 25,403,500)
The seizures were made around Okuta, Ogundele Ilorin express road, Jabba-Mokwa express road, Maigida-Arogaji Road Ilorin and Chikanda axis of Kwara State respectively.
Compt. Ahmed want to make this clear to economic saboteurs that, the banned on importation of rice, used vehicles through the land borders, Vegetable Oil, Secondhand Clothing, Used Tyres, and other dangerous Drugs such as Tramadol is still in place and the Kwara Command is committed to enforcing this to the later.
We remain grateful to the current Management under the dynamic leadership of the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd) for equipping us with Brand New Patrol Vehicles, other resources and Logistics needed to make our operations more effective and efficient.”
