The Controller of the Oyo/Osun Area Command, Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Joseph Adelaja, has announced that a revenue of ₦25,777,379,328.17 billion has been generated between March and May this year.
This represents a 36.67 per cent increase compared to the ₦18,168,204,255.04 billion collected within the same period in 2024.
The Comptroller stated that the Command’s anti-smuggling activities also led to the interception and seizure of prohibited items with a duty-paid value of ₦335,648,500 million in May, including compressors concealed in cartons of apples.
Highlighting the Command’s achievements during a press briefing on Tuesday, Comptroller Adelaja explained that the implementation of modern trade facilitation tools had contributed to ensuring compliance among excise stakeholders and reducing revenue leakages.
He added that these measures had also played a vital role in the federal government’s economic reforms aimed at supporting national development.
Regarding interceptions and seizures, the Comptroller listed various confiscated items, including 1,698 (50kg) bags of foreign parboiled rice worth ₦153.78 million; counterfeit pharmaceuticals worth ₦36.66 million; 226 pieces of used tyres with a duty-paid value of ₦18.08 million; and 67 sacks, 37 bales, and 130 wraps of used clothing valued at ₦92.84 million.
Other seized items include 130 (25-litre) kegs and 21 (125-litre) drums of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) with a duty-paid value of ₦6.4 million; 310 used compressors worth ₦9.3 million; four sacks of used shoes valued at ₦3.36 million; 68 (39kg) wraps of cannabis sativa worth ₦1,228.5 million; and two means of conveyance—namely, a used Mazda bus and a Toyota Sienna Space bus—with a duty-paid value of ₦14 million.
During a tour of the confiscated items, the Comptroller pointed out that not only were the compressors concealed in cartons of apples, but the used tyres had also been wrapped to resemble new ones.
He emphasised that the Command’s anti-smuggling strategies were designed to safeguard individuals, facilitate legitimate trade, protect local industries, and ensure compliance with existing Customs regulations.
Comptroller Adelaja stressed that these seizures underscored the Command’s dedication to safeguarding Nigeria’s economy and ensuring adherence to fiscal and trade policies.
He noted: “The threat posed by these activities is severe, as they not only endanger public health, but also negatively impact local industries and deprive the government of essential revenue needed for infrastructure development.”
Comptroller Adelaja urged the public to continue supporting the Nigeria Customs Service by providing intelligence, complying with trade laws, and rejecting economic sabotage.
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