Smugglers warned to stay clear of Kwara as Customs remit N9.8bn to FG

Comptroller, Kwara State Command, Nigeria Customs Service, Kehinde Dehinde Ilesanmi, has warned economic saboteurs and smugglers to stay clear of the state or be ready to meet their Waterloo.

At a press briefing on Friday, in Ilorin, on his second-quarter activities since his assumption of duty in January 2023, Ilesanmi disclosed that N9.8bn had been collected and remitted to the federal account.

He said the revenue is above what was collected from January -June 2022 with a margin of N5.762b.

The Customs boss said 56 seizures of different items with duty paid value of N48.8m were made within the period under review.

He mentioned the items seized as nine vehicles of different types, 813 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 24,950 litres of petroleum product in 998 Jerry cans, and 14 kegs of vegetable oil of 25 litres.

“These positive harvests in the areas of anti-smuggling and revenue generation are a clear testimony of what can be achieved under a brand new leadership of the service,” he added.

The Comptroller called on Nigerians, the media in particular, to support the command by providing credible information that will help nip smuggling in the bud.

He commended the patriotic collaboration and tremendous assistance the command had always received from traditional leaders, eminent personalities and some host communities, including the press in the campaign against smuggling in the overall interest of Nigeria.

Comptroller Kehinde asserted that Kwara Customs Command remains uncompromising in its mandate to enforce legitimate trade and facilitate trade among local industries.