Customs intercept live turtles, others

The Nigeria Customs Service, Murtala Muhammed Airport command, says it intercepted 250 live turtles, military accouterments and other contrabands worth N3.32bn

The Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, Micheal Awe, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the command on Wednesday.

He added that the intercepted contrabands came into the country from Canada Turkiye, among others, between July and October.

Awe stated that the seized items contraven some of the provisions of the extant laws as enshrined in the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCS Act) 2023.

“Efforts to combat illicit trade yielded impressive results, with total duty paid value of seized items amounting to N3.32bn between July and October 2024. These items include 23 pieces of walkie-talkies, 175 pieces of military helmets, 50 pieces of drones, 10 packs of cannabis sativa, and 250 pieces of live turtles,” Awe mentioned.

He mentioned that other seized contrabands include seven packages of 200mg & 225mg of tramadol hydrochloride, 1.5kg of pangolin scales, and 0.2kg of porcupine pins.

The CAC also announced that the command collected N144.2bn as revenue representing a 94 per cent increase when compared with N74bn recorded during the same period in 2023.

“Between January to October 2024, the command collected revenue worth N144.2bn from duties and other charges. When you compare the figure to N74bn collected in 2023, it shows a progressive difference of N69.9bn, depicting 94 per cent increase,” he stated.

Awe attributed the revenue generation to enhanced trade facilitation, improved stakeholder compliance, effective law enforcement, “strategic resource deployment, interagency collaboration, efficient cargo clearance, and intelligent risk management strategies.”

He emphasized that in a bid to boost revenue collection, facilitate legitimate trade, and curb smuggling, the command implemented initiatives such as streamlined clearance procedures and enhanced cargo inspection and examination.

He added that the command also ensured improved intelligence gathering and sharing, collaboration with other security agencies, and regular stakeholder engagements.

Awe assured that moving forward, the command will enhance trade facilitation measures, strengthen anti-smuggling efforts, improve stakeholder engagement, and leverage technology for efficient operations.