The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has said it facilitated non-oil export goods worth N28.2 billion with a total tonnage of 6.4 million metric tonnes through Apapa port in 2022.
The command said it also generated N1 trillion revenue, which is 16.07 per cent higher than the N870 billion collected in 2021.
The Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Yusuf Malanta, who disclosed this, yesterday, at a media briefing to review the activities of the command in 2022, said a total of $68.5 million Free onboard (FOB) export commodities was recorded.
He said the exports included steel bars, agricultural produce such as, hibiscus, sesame seeds, cocoa, cashew nuts, ginger, soya beans and mineral products.
On anti-smuggling, in the year under review, Malanta said the command seized 157 containers with a duty paid value (DPV) of N14.4 billion, as against the 102 containers with DPV of N31.8 billion seized in 2021.
He said items seized include, codeine syrup, foreign parboiled rice, vegetable oil, processed/unprocessed wood, used clothing, adding that 60 suspects were arrested in connection with some of the seizures.
Malanta said collaboration with other agencies of government has greatly enhanced productivity of the command.
He said inter agency collaboration, networking, incidence profiling, information gathering/processing and experience shared has resulted in a lot of interception of life threatening import of dangerous drugs and various prohibited items.
While noting that 2022 is characterised by several challenges in the economic and trade supply chain, Malanta expressed delight that the command was able to make some laudable achievement using technology-driven initiatives to maximise revenue collection, enforcement of anti-smuggling operations, export promotion and synergy with our noble stakeholders in the industry.
Malanta thanked the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hammed Ali and his management team for robust support throughout the year, even as he encouraged freight agents to pay accurate duty and obey extant import and export guidelines without violating the prohibition lists.
