Kwara: We raked in over N6bn in 2 months – Customs

The Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has said it generated the sum of N6, 246, 485,827.97 as at the end of the second quarter of 2023.

The Area Comptroller, Kehinde Dehinde Ilesanmi, said this on Friday while speaking with journalists on its scorecard from April to June 2023.

He said the amount represents 9.14% of the revenue increment compared to preceding year 2022.

“The results of our anti-smuggling activities coupled with the Command’s renewed drive in utilization of cutting edge strategies had led to Fifty-Six (56) seizures of different items with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of Forty-Eight Million Eight Hundred and Twenty-Two Thousand Four Hundred Naira (N48,822,400.00”.

He stated the items seized to include “9 Units of used vehicles of different types, 813 Bags of foreign parboiled rice of (50kg each) That is more than a truck load of rice, 24,950 litres of petroleum product in 998 Jeri cans (almost a trailer load) and 14kegs of vegetable oil of 25 litres”,

He called on Nigerians to support the Command by providing credible information that will help nip smuggling in the state

He equally warned the economic saboteurs to steer clear of Kwara Area Command and engage in meaningful ventures or meet their waterloo.

He said fuel and smuggling of other commodities drastically reduced after the removal of subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The custom area comptroller said the seized items which include 14 kegs of 25 litres of vegetable oil were from different border locations of Okuta, Chikanda and Bukuru axis in the state.

He said “The smuggling of PMS and other commodities has drastically reduced because of the subsidy removal. The capacity of smugglers to purchase and transport fuel now has reduced just as it has affected fuel consumers.

“Immediately after the removal of the subsidy by Nigeria, we heard of demonstrations in our neighbouring countries.

“Reconciling the situation in our borders after the announcement of the policy, smuggling has drastically reduced especially of petroleum products. But smugglers will not relent.”

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