Customs Denies e- Auction Process Is Fraudulent
• Freight Forwarders Allege 300 Vehicles Sold To One Person
CHIEF Superintendent of Customs and National Public Relations Officer of Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS), Abdullah Maiwada, has denied the allegation that fraudulent activities or underhand dealings characterised the recently held eauctioning of vehicles or other goods by NCS.
Maiwada said the NCS Auction Committee operates within the confines of the law and adheres strictly to established guidelines and procedures for disposing of seized/ overtime goods.
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders ( NAGAFF) 100% Compliance Team had alleged in a letter to the Comptroller- General of NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, claiming that the recently held electronic auction of vehicles by the NCS was characterised by massive fraud with one person purportedly getting over 300 of the vehicles.
But Maiwada, countering the allegation, said: “Regarding the allegation that over 300 vehicles were auctioned to just one individual via the e- auction window after purported underhand payments, we wish to state that this is entirely false, misguidedand spurious.
“Furthermore, suggesting that a token sum of N10,000 is collected as duties to the Federal Government on the e- auction window, which has a reserved price of N400, 000 is indeed misleading and misrepresentation of fact,” he stated.
According to him, “From the data generated upon completing five successful bidding windows, 13,605 applicants registered in five windows on our e- auction portal, where 476 vehicles were uploaded, and 462 won. Also, the government realized N556,738,736 as revenue. It begs the question of where the allegations are coming from.
“We wish to reaffirm our commitment to transparency, accountability, and adherence to the rule of law in all our activities. We urge members of the public to join the service with the common goal of promoting an inclusive system that is fair to all Nigerians, irrespective of their status.
“The NCS is a la w- abiding government organisation dedicated to maintaining the most outstanding levels of accountability and transparency in all its activities and taking any accusations of improper be haviour seriously,” he said.
In a letter titled: “The Monumental Stealing By The Customs A uction Committee And Their Plans To DisposeOff Overtime Containers,” signed by the National Coordinator of the Compliance Team, Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim, the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders alleged that plans ha ve b een concluded to extend the same fraudulent treatment in the auction of overtime containers.