The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has denied involvement in fraudulent activities or underhand dealings in the e-auctioning of vehicles or other goods.
The NCS stated that the Auction Committee operates within the confines of the law and adheres strictly to established guidelines and procedures for disposing of seized/overtime goods.
The Nigeria Customs pointed out that from the data generated upon completing five successful bidding windows, 13,605 applicants registered in five windows on the e-auction portal, where 476 vehicles were uploaded, and 462 won, adding that the government realised N556,738,736 as revenue.
Reaffirming its commitment to transparency, accountability, and adherence to the rule of law in all its activities, the NCS said that NCS is a law-abiding government organisation dedicated to maintaining the most outstanding levels of accountability and transparency in all its activities and taking any accusations of improper behaviour seriously.
Abdullahi Maiwada Chief Superintendent of Customs and National Public Relations Officer of the NCS said in a statement on Saturday: “We wish to categorically deny involvement in fraudulent activities or underhand dealings in the e-auctioning of vehicles or other goods.
“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.
“Regarding the allegation that over 300 vehicles have been auctioned to just one individual via the e-auction window after purported underhand payments, we wish to state that this is entirely false, misguided, and 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.
“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”.
Maiwada, while reacting to the report titled: “The Monumental Stealing By The Customs Auction Committee And Their Plans To Dispose-Off Overtime Containers”, expressed serious concern over it, and described the allegations which tend to impinge on the integrity of the e-auction process as disheartening.
He stressed that the e-auction window is designed to provide a level playing ground for all Nigerians.
Maiwada urged 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.
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