CAC Malanta Yusuf addressing the press at the Command’s briefing room.
Story by Dili Utomi.
The Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Malanta Yusuf today took a tour of duty to the ESS Libra Terminal at Ikorodu and the APM Terminal within the Apapa Port. The journey to Ikorodu took the CAC with his entourage through the calm Lagos lagoon in two boats on a calm, but slightly warm, and slightly misty morning.
The CAC going through the papers of the seized items with his lieutenants at Ikorodu.
At the ESS Terminal, CAC Yusuf met with the Terminal Manager and the leaders of the various sister agencies such as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Directorate of State Security (DSS) and the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC). He lauded the cooperative spirit of the Agencies as he wished that this may continue so that Nigerians would have the best of services from them all.
A container of the seized Basmati rice.
He continued the tour with the inspection of the offices of the Customs personnel within the Terminal and also the inspection of some seized containers, a set of 2x20ft containers filled with 5 kilogramme bags of Basmati rice and another container that was about 60% filled with food flasks and about 40% filled with cartons of 120mg of Tramadol concealed underneath the cartons of food flasks. He declared that the 2x20ft containers of rice have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of #25.8m, while the tramadol has a total value of #18m with the rice coming in from China and the tramadol from India.
The CAC with samples of the seized Tramadol.
The CAC said that though no arrests have been made on the seized items because the addresses used were fake, but that investigation is in progress to apprehend the culprits as he hopes that the judicial system would be more bold to impose jail sentences to apprehended banned substance importers for the purpose of deterrence.
The CAC with some of the Terminal officials and some of his men.
At the APM Terminal, the CAC also inspected about 10x20ft containers with 2 of those filled with 50kg bags of rice, 2 others have medicaments without the certification of NAFDAC and with a total value of #78.3m. Some of the containers had cartons of tomato puree, but which were hitherto declared as tools, each of the containers of tomato puree is worth over #20m, the importations were all from China’s. Among the containers were 3 containing used clothes and each is worth a DPV of #23m. The other seized containers had cartons of medicaments for animals, multivitamins meant for animals, the importers made false declaration for the medicaments. There were also a container of banned medicines, known as Really Extra with a duty paid value of #70.6m, about 7 suspects have been apprehended in all of these seizures at the APM Terminal.
Inspecting the containers at APMT.
In addition to the tour, the CAC also briefed the press on the various activities of the Command within the month of November. He noted that 13 containers were seized with a duty paid value (dpv) of #285m and that some 46.55 kilogrammes of Cocaine with a street value of #13.2 billion and which was concealed on two vessels, MV Karteria and Chayanee Naree was also seized. The total seizure off the Command between January to November this year stands at 97 containers with a DPV of #17.5 billion. The various items seized over these months include Captagon pills, Cocaine, Tramadol, Codein syrup, Foreign parboiled rice, Tomato puree and Used Clothings.
Inspecting the seized items at the APMT.
CAC Yusuf also noted that in the month of November, the Command collected a record breaking revenue of #89.7billion which represents the highest revenue generated by any Command of the Nigeria Customs Service within a month. He also added that his Command’s revenue profile between January to November stood at #784.8 billion .
Comptroller Yusuf urged the trading public to be more sincere in their declaration and to pay accurate duty as he appreciates stakeholders who are being compliant, he said that the compliant rate has risen up to about 70%. He thanked his principal, the Controller General of Customs, Col.Hameed Ali (Rtd) the media and all the Agencies who help to make his job easier for better services to Nigeria.
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