‘We’re Implementing State of Emergency Imposed On Onne Area Command To The Later’- Babandede

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port Harcourt Area 11 Command Onne, has disclosed that arising from the state of emergency imposed on the area command by the leadership of the service, the command has impounded 20x 40ft and 1x 20ft containers of offensive drugs, in addition to a 20ft container of donkey skin.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Mohammed Babandede in a statement made available to our reporter by the Command Public Relations Officer, Loba Benjamin, said the seized items “pose severe threat to public health and safety.”

This is even as the Onne Customs boss put the combined Duty Paid Value of the seized items at ₦487,399,119,810.

Giving a breakdown of the seizures, Babandede listed the impounded offensive illicit drugs to include 2,624,053 bottles of 100ml Cough Syrup Codeine, 7,530,000 tablets of 50mg Really Extra Diclofenac, 3,500,000 tablets of 5mg Trodol Benzhexol, 27,048,900  tablets of 225mg Royal Tapentadol/ Tramadol/Tamolx, 7,665,000 tablets of 200ml fake/counterfeit Gonorrhea Antibiotics without NAFDAC number,  15,600,000 tablets of fake 4mg chlorphenamine, and 33,840,00 tablets of 2mg fake Lemotil Loperamine.

Other items seized includes 19,430 pieces of Chilly cutter used for concealment, 20,238 pieces of Sanitary Fittings Tap/toilet seat said to have been used for concealment, 26,400 tubes of 30mg fake Permethrin cream, 480,000 tablets of fake Stapsiril, 112,500 tablets of fake multi mineral supplement, 28 drums of diphenhydramine Hydrochloride ip of 25kg each, 3,388 pieces of waste connector used for concealment and 2,100 pieces of donkey skin.

On he said, “The Command as at this morning has generated a total revenue of Five hundred and Fifty Billion, Four hundred and Thirty-One Million, Five hundred and Fifty-Nine thousand, Five hundred and Ninety-Eight naira, Forty-One kobo (₦550,431,559,598.41) which translate to 89% of the annual target of 618 Billion given to the Command.”

While explaining that the impressive scorecard was achieved through enhanced collaboration with stakeholders, he noted that the state of emergency is total and without recourse to routine administrative culture which takes into account the presence of the owners or representatives of a suspected consignment.

The statement reads: “You will recall exactly two months and seven days ago, precisely 4th of September 2024 the Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi mfr was in Onne Port where he showcased series of significant seizures made by the diligent officers of the Area 2 Command.

“Twelve (12) containers were displayed of illicit goods intercepted through a combination of intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration, and meticulous physical examination.

“The security concern from the series of seizures of contraband goods made through this port led to the declaration of a three month state of emergency where the Command have been granted the authority to scrutinize all suspected containers, regardless of the presence of their owners. This proactive approach aims to ensure that no illegal substances can evade detection.

“In line with the Comptroller General of Customs Policy thrust of consolidation and collaboration. The Command working with Sister Agencies such as NDLEA, DSS, Quarantine and NAFDAC among others in implementing the State of emergency, has made yet another significant seizure of twenty 40feet and one 20feet containers laden with illicit drugs, which pose a severe threat to public health and safety. Then we have one 20feet container laden with donkey skin.”

He continues: “The Duty paid Value of the twenty-one containers totals ₦46,399,119,810, while the Duty paid value for the donkey skin is ₦441,000,000. These seizures underscore our unwavering commitment to combating illicit medicine and ensuring the safety of the public.

“The implementation of this state of emergency by the CGC has proven effective in enhancing our operational capabilities and ensuring that we can act decisively against those who seek to undermine our nation’s security.”

He explained that overall, the command’s anti-smuggling performance under his watch within the period under review brings offensive containers intercepted to 63, some of which comprise of 844 riffles and 112,500 pieces of live ammunition.

“Still on Anti-smuggling activities, the Command under my stewardship this year, including these seizures on display has now made a total seizure of 63 containers comprising of 844 Riffles, 112,500 pieces of live ammunition, over 6,469,253 bottles of 100ml syrup with codeine, and over 56,878,900 tablets of 225mg Royal Tapentadol /Tramadol/Tamolx.”

The anti-smuggling czar explained the various seizures were in contraventions of various customs laws and breach of procedures as provided under the revised import prohibition guidelines of the Common External Tariff 2022-2026, as well as Sections 233, 234, 235, 245, 246 of Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

In the area of Trade facilitation, he said the Command is utilizing World Customs Organization trade facilitation tool to generate maximum revenue with particular reference to the recently introduced Time Release Study (TRS).

“The result of utilizing this tool within the past months of this year has been unprecedented.”

Speaking on export, he said “you would agree with me that export play a crucial role in any nation’s economy and Nigeria relaying on it promotes economic growth, job creation and provides favourable balance of trade and exchange rate for the naira to the dollar. “A total of 2,436,408.33 Metric tonnes of goods with a free on board (FOB) value of $826,613,015.87 was processed through the Command.”