Customs rakes in N78bn at Onne port

Port Harcourt -- The Nigeria Customs Service says it generated the sum of N78,167,080,299.21 as revenue in the first half of the year, from January to June 2021, at Onne seaport in Rivers State.

The amount is N31.5 billion above the N46.6 billion generated between January and June 2020, signifying about 67.52 percent increase in the Onne Customs Command’s revenue generation.

According to the Customs Public Relations Officer at Onne seaport, Ifeoma Ojekwu, the increased revenue is as a result of strict enforcement of fiscal policies, uncompromising implementation of government directives and diligent trade facilitation put in place by the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Auwal Mohammed.

The command maintained that aside from the improvement in comparative mid-year revenue generation between 2020 and 2021, the Command also made some other feats in export and anti-smuggling activities.

It said: "In the month of June 2020, the Command generated the sum of N14,552,562,033.70 an unprecedented feat in the command's history. Export statistics of the Command showed that goods worth N52.6 billion made its way through Onne Port between January to June, 2021.

"These exports include sesame seeds, ginger, cocoa beans, hibiscus, fluorite ore, lead ore, palm kernel shell, cotton, float glass, aluminium ingot among others, valued at N260,150,300.13, while the total tonnage of the export stood at 331.356.39 tonnes with FOB value of $137,943,276.32," he said.

On enforcement and antismuggling activities the Command made 19 seizures totalling N8,299,061,138.00 Duty Paid Value within the period under review.

"Prominent among the seizures was the over N3.7 billion worth of 1,387 cartons of tramadol in a single seizure concealed in 1000 cartons of tiles made in May, 2021.

"Other seizures include: 2 units of Used Mitsubishi buses; 210 bales of second hand clothing; 4,029 pcs of used tyres ; 16 units of Used engine gear box and auto spare part, 310 pallets of laser ketchup; 2,721 bags of 50kg foreign rice and 37 cartons of wine.

"Others include 124 cartons of tapentadol; 956 Jerry cans of 25litres of vegetable oil; 750 cartons of super gold candle; 2,970 cartons of foreign soap; 89 bales of fabrics and 500 cartons of medicament.

"Four suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures and are at various stages of investigation and prosecution in courts of competent