Customs Generates over N5billion Revenue in Six Months

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin 

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kwara State Command has disclosed that, it had generated a total sum of over N5billion as revenue in the last six months of the year in the state.

The command also warned smugglers who wanted to use the forthcoming Christmas and New year period through border areas to perpetrates their nefarious activities to have a rethink saying anyone caught would be death with in line with the rules and regulations of the country.

The Customs Area Comproller, Kwara State Command, Comptroller Kehinde Ilesanmi made the disclosure in Ilorin on Tuesday while speaking with journalists on the activities of the command between June and October 2023.

According to him,  “From June to October 2023 the command has generated the sum of N5,992,300,562.73. which surpasses what was generated same period last year 2022 with N307,517,623,49. Three suspects were also arrested during the period under review and the Duty Paid Value of the seizure is N11, 149, 636, 49.

“Also from June to October 2023, gentlemen of the press, I want to use this medium to inform you that, the command has recorded fifteen(15) seizures. These include 352 bags of foreign par boiled rice of 50kg each and 1, 875 liters of PMS of 25 liters each in 75 Jericans”.

On the smugglers planning to embark on their illegal activities during the forthcoming yuletide at borders posts, Ilesanmi stated that, 

command has been further equipped to thwart their efforts.

He warned smugglers on the sideline of four additional Hilux vehicles that have been given for operations, to stay away from the state or be prepared to meet their Waterloo..

According to him, “No smugglers will escape from us in Kwara , particularly as we have been given four additional vehicles to increase our operations to man border areas  I expect the beauty and functionality of these four brand new operational vehicles to start depreciating in the next couple of days,if not then we are not working.

“We have been given these vehicles for further work and we will follow smugglers to any ditch or gully and anywhere they go, to arrest and recover illegal items from them. So, I want to warn those who want to use this yuletide period to make money by snuggling prohibited items to think twice as our officers have continued to dominate our areas of operations with aggressive patrols to deny smugglers freedom of action.”