Customs total seized rice figure clash with number of bags given to IDP camps in 2018
Though the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has given its scorecard for the year beginning from January to November, saying it seized arms and ammunitions, dangerous drugs as well as vehicles, it impounded a total of 238,094(50kg) bags of rice across Nigeria within the period under review.
However, the Public Relations Officer of the Service, Joseph Attah, during the end of the year breakfast meeting with senior journalists in Lagos disclosed that 424,391(50kg) bags of rice worth N4.05bn were distributed to Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps along with other perishable items.
Efforts to find out the sources of the difference between the two figures (424,391-238,094=186,297) from Customs failed.
It was not clear if the difference of 186,297 bags of rice, was part of bags of rice seized in 2017 that were not handed over to IDPs or bags of rice that have no clear source but found themselves in Customs warehouses.
Other statistics rolled out by the Customs chief include N346.1bn from 806 seized vehicles sold to 753 Nigerians through its e-auction exercise.
The NCS spokesperson confirmed that the Service generated total revenue of N1.1tn during the period, surpassing the 2017 revenue figure by N63bn.
Attah, who could not give any data on number of Nigerian businesses so far facilitated during the period under review, recalled that in 2017, Customs generated N1.037tn, the highest revenue it ever recorded.
Explaining more on sharing of seized bags of rice to IDPs, Customs image maker averred that the Comptroller-General, Hameed Ali (retd.), had obtained presidential approval to extend the distribution of the items to other IDP camps and registered orphanages in parts of Nigeria.
