The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, Lagos, has seized a truckload of 400 bags of beans stockpiled in a warehouse at one of the exit corridors in the border.

Timi Bomodi, the command’s comptroller, disclosed this during a news conference on Tuesday in Lagos.

Mr Bomodi said the command seized the beans in the light of the present economic realities, where massive food shortages had been reported nationwide.

He added that it was seized in line with the directive to avoid the illegal export of grains, adding that the duty paid value (DPV) of the seized items was ₦61.45 million.

According to him, the item was deposited in the government’s warehouse for safekeeping and eventual sale to the public.

“In the same vein, the continuous surveillance of the border by our officers and men has resulted in the interceptions of 400 x 30 litres of petrol equivalent of 12,000 litres with a DPV of ₦8,347,680 in the early hours of March 2, 2024, along the creeks.

“The petrol seized will be auctioned in line with Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of sales of seized perishable items as directed by the service,” he said.

On revenue generation, he said the command had generated N1.16 billion between January and February 2024, noting that it was given a revenue target of N7.88 billion in the current year.

“In January 2024, the command collected ₦643,038,611, while in February, we collected ₦517,950,286, making a total of ₦1,160,988,897,” he said.

He said the command had processed 184 export declarations for 43 items with a total weight of 65,185.96 MT and an FOB of N13.06 billion.

“Total amount collected for the Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme was N65.3 million, and N24.4 million as an export surcharge for previously imported goods,” he said.

Mr Bomodi said the command successfully made 168 interventions in two months, resulting in the seizures of 2,193 bags of 50kg of rice, equivalent to three trailer loads.

“Others are 81,930 litres of petrol, nine vehicles, one 1,425 general merchandise, 265 parcels of cannabis sativa and other narcotics, 149 packs of codeine and two locally manufactured guns—all with a combined DPV of ₦365,888,696.00.

“A total of 13 suspects were arrested in connection with these seizures; six of them were granted administrative bails, and three were handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further agency action.

“One was handed over to the Nigerian Police, while three suspects are still in our custody,” he said.

(NAN)