The Nigeria Customs Service, Port Harcourt Area II Command, Onne, Rivers State, has announced that it collected N859bn in revenue and intercepted contraband valued at more than N200bn over a 15-month period.
Public Relations Officer of the command, Theophilus Duniya, disclosed this in a report on Thursday while reviewing the tenure of Comptroller Mohammed Babandede, who recently completed his assignment as Area Controller before being elevated to Assistant Comptroller General.
“Since May 2024 when Comptroller Babandede assumed leadership, the command has not only generated over N859bn from imports but also made high-profile seizures with a duty paid value exceeding N200bn,” Duniya said.
According to him, the seized items included 544 assorted rifles, 112,500 rounds of ammunition, 75 million tablets of tramadol, 14 million bottles of codeine syrup, and over 50 million tablets of other expired medicines.
He stressed that the interceptions were achieved through “relentless surveillance, intelligence, and strict enforcement of customs laws.”
The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, praised Babandede and his team for their efforts in safeguarding Nigeria’s borders and preventing dangerous goods from entering the country.
“The Onne Command under the leadership of Mohammed Babandede beat smugglers and importers of contraband at their game,” Adeniyi said. “I deeply appreciate the officers for their dedication to duty and commitment to the fight against smuggling. These seizures were not only a customs success but also a matter of national security.”
Adeniyi assured that the Service would continue to prioritize professionalism, transparency, and strict adherence to customs regulations, particularly in cases involving concealment, false declarations, and prohibited imports.