The Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has revealed that it collected 256,416,708,848.68 between January and December 2016, even as it received four commendation letters from the Comptroller General of Customs Col. Hamid Ali between October and November 2016.
In a press release sent to Shipping Position Daily yesterday, the command's Public Relations Officer, Uche Ejesieme noted that the figure is however lower than the 266,185,188,546.00 collected in 2015. The command recorded a shortfall of about N8billion.
While analysing its performance in 2016, the command recalled that it has intercepted a large cache of arms and ammunition on 15th February, 7th of March and 4th of April respectively. The arms and ammunitions were handed over to the Department of State Security
The command equally recorded seizure of 31 containers of 50kg parboiled rice falsely declared as bread improvers and flavoured yeast dissodium on 19th August 2016.
Other seizures recorded at the command in 2016 included: 27 X 20FT containers of vegetable oil in 25KG kegs at EMOG Terminal under the command on Thursday 3rd November 2016, interception of 1, 395 cartons of ready-to-eat food preparations including egusi soup, yam porrridge, fried rice, and jollof rice imported from India.
However, the high point of spectacular interception for the command was recorded in October 2016 in a 1 X 20ft container carrying eight bags consisting of 200 fully compressed substances which was later confirmed to be cocaine with a street value of N2billion.
"The commands remarkable performance during the period under review attracted eulogies and encomiums especially from the Customs Hierarchy. These commendations which were communicated in four different letters at the instance of the CGC bore testimony to the appreciation of the Service"
"It is remarkable to state that at no time in the history of the Service has any Command received four letters of commendation in a space of two months. That to us is a milestone which the Command will sustain in the New Year and beyond" the statement vowed.
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