By James Jibril
The Area ll Command of the Nigeria Customs Service in Onne Port said it generated N188.64bn from January to December 2021 in revenues, compared to the N69.68bn it generated in 2020.
The Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Auwal Mohammed, in a statement commended the officers for the feats jointly achieved in revenue collection, enforcement and trade facilitation.
According to Mohammed, 34 seizures worth a total duty of N11.98bn were made in 2021, and prominent among the seizures was 1,387 cartons of tramadol.
The statement reads, “They are indeed laudable milestones that we must not only sustain but also improve upon for the benefit of our country’s economy and national security.
“Indeed, our various meetings with stakeholders and port users paid off in 2021 because we have noted remarkable improvements in compliance levels.
“As we enter 2022, let us continue to blend our enforcement capability with intelligence, to always detect all attempts at circumventing the law through false declarations, under-declarations and concealments.
“In 2022, whoever attempts doing the wrong thing, like smuggling through Onne Port, will get his cargo seized and risks facing arrest for prosecution in accordance with the Customs and Excise Management Act.
“We cannot afford to compromise our positions or disappoint on the trust reposed on us. I hereby advise once again that all importers and agents using this area for their businesses stay on the part of compliance at all times.”
Onne Port, which is located at Eleme in Rivers State, accounts for over 65% of the export cargo through the Nigerian Sea Port
