Concealment: Customs at Airport uncovers over N1bn items …Says concealment impeding on revenue collection

Concealment: Customs at Airport uncovers over N1bn items

.Says concealment impeding on revenue collection

By Udeme Clement

The Murtala Mohammed Area Command, MMAC, of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has uncovered over N1billion items at the International Airport, Lagos, concealed with other goods by the importers, in a bid to evade payment of Customs duty

Some of the goods uncovered by Customs operatives under the supervision of the Customs Area Controller, CAC, of the Command, Comptroller Jayne Shoboiki,  during physical  examination include  cartons of very expensive shoes, estimated at the Duty Paid Value, DPV, of  N500.000 each, camera flash equipments loaded in different  cartons, assorted textile materials and pharmaceutical products with names not written in English for easy understanding.

Other items discovered during the examination process were second-hand mobile phones, sophisticated oil-well equipment with iron accessories, eye-glasses, computer accessories, blenders in many cartons and slippers, among other items concealed in large quantities.

Speaking, Comptroller Shoboiki expressed displeasure at the level of concealment, stressing that such illegality is affecting revenue generation of the Command, thereby making the Federal Government to lose income as well.

The CAC said, “We are working with the Customs Intelligent Unit, CIU and other security agencies to curb criminal activities at our area of coverage.  As you can see here, these are very expensive goods, which ought to bring revenue for government being concealed by the importers with household items and other goods in attempt to evade duty payment”.

She emphasized,  “We uncovered these items through intelligence and must continue to work tirelessly in carrying out our statutory functions of revenue generation, trade facilitation and anti-smuggling in line with global best practice.

“Right now, we are going to ensure that prohibited items like the drugs are seized.  You can see that the names of the drugs are not written in English, so that attract outright seizure.  Above all, we must ensure that appropriate duty of other items is paid to government”.