Customs Record N17bn In Revenue, Seize 1,334 Illicit Items In Q2
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has recorded a total of 1,334 seizures with the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N17bn in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024.
The Customs Service in a statement on Monday, disclosed that the achievement amounted to a 121 per cent increase when compared to the first quarter (Q1) of the year.
According to the Service, the top items seized include wildlife items, vehicles, arms and ammunition, foreign rice, pharmaceuticals, and narcotics.
A total of 32 suspects arrested by the Service’s operatives are also in custody.
The Service revealed that the seizures made in Q2 when added to Q1, represented a total seizure of 2,442 illicit items at the nation’s borders.
This record takes the total DPV of seized items in the first half of 2024 to N25,520,652,942.87.
The generated revenue from the seized items further takes the total revenue collected in Q2 to N1.395tn exceeding the quarterly target by 10 per cent and representing a 131 per cent increase over Q2 of 2023.
According to the Customs Service, the Q2 and Q1 collected revenue made a part of the total revenue generated for the first half of 2024, which stood at N2.74tn, marking a 127 per cent increase over the previous year’s revenue.
The Customs noted that the increase surpassed the target of N2.54trn by 8 per cent.
“Key initiatives contributing to this success include the e-auction platform, which generated over N1.34 billion, and the 90-day duty payment window for uncustomed vehicles, adding N4.37 billion to the revenue,” the customs noted.
These measures, according to the Customs Service significantly enhanced transparency, compliance, and efficiency in customs processes and overall trade facilitation.
In the first half of 2024, the Service said it processed 620,467 Single Goods Declarations (SGDs), reflecting a reduction of approximately 39 per cent compared to the same period in 2023.
Despite this decline, the NCS stated that it implemented key initiatives to simplify and expedite customs processes.
The statement read partly: “These include reinforcement of NCS automation procedures, capacity-building programs for officers, and public-private partnerships to enhance customs clearance efficiency. These efforts are crucial for enhancing Nigeria’s trade competitiveness and supporting economic growth.
“Despite the achievements, the NCS faced several challenges in the first half of 2024, including significant fluctuations in the exchange rate, a lower volume of transactions, low compliance levels among importers and exporters, and periodic downtime.
“These challenges impacted the consistency of revenue collection and overall operational efficiency.
“To address these challenges and enhance revenue collection, the NCS implemented several strategies, including real-time system auditing, post-clearance audits, verification of documents for the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), ensuring compliance with import guidelines, and the implementation of a pilot test for the Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) scheme.
“Additionally, the NCS has recently introduced the Advance Ruling System (ARS), a legally binding decision on classification, valuation, and rules of origin before the importation or exportation of goods.
Other pragmatic measures implemented to increase revenue, despite a drop in cargo throughput, included establishing a robust framework for dispute resolution, launching Operation Whirlwind, reshuffling strategic-level officers and robust stakeholders’ engagement.”
