By Anthony Ogbonna Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has, on a lighter note, promised the Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hamid Ali, that he would personally move the motion that Mr. Ali should wear jeans and T-Shirt if he so desires provided that Customs ends smuggling of goods, especially rice into the country.

At least N5 billion was lost by stakeholders to yesterday’s shut down of port operations across the country by aggrieved ports’ workers, led by officials of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, and Senior Staff Association of Communication, Transportation and Corporation, SSACTAC, Maritime branch.

The Nigerian Customs Service has explained that 22 out of the 23 duty collecting banks who applied for the operations of the new e-auction bidding and transactions process in the clearance of goods and vehicles at the ports and other customs outlets are yet to comply with requirements for approval to operate.

The Nigeria Customs Service and the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to stop rice smuggling through land border into the country.

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘C’ Owerri, has destroyed 4,118 cartons of expired foreign poultry products with a Duty Paid Value of N83.3 million smuggled into the country.

In a bid to enhance and facilitate cargo clearance at the Onne port, the Port Harcourt Area 11 command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, in Onne, Rivers state, has commenced moves to operate on a 24 hour basis.

THE Eastern Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service said it intercepted prohibited items in its Oron and Calabar outstations.

The federal government has challenged the Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS and the Nigerian Customs Service NCS to rev up their efforts at increased revenue generation if major projections in the 2017 budget are to be met.

ONNE—Facts have emerged that the revenue profile of the Nigeria Customs Service, Onne command is presently experiencing tremendous increase through import and export duties on goods.

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘C’ Owerri, has intercepted a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon bullet Proof car with a Duty Paid Value, DPV, of N74.2million, smuggled into the country illegally.

Idiroko, the border between Nigeria and Republic of Benin is in the news again, as operatives of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Ogun Command intercepted nine packages of hard drugs (Cannabis Sativa), smuggled into the country in car engines. The Command also seized over 650 bags of rice concealed with wood in a truck ,at the same region.

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, yesterday said it has drawn up a roaster for its officers and men to work in shifts.

There is confusion over whose duty it is to conduct further investigation into the 440 arms intercepted by the Tin-can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, about two weeks ago.

In the last two years, the Western Marine Command (WMC) of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recorded huge seizures of Cannabis Sativa, smuggled into the country through the marine area.

Tin-can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, yesterday handed over two suspected stolen Range Rover Suv cars to Interpol.