By From January to March 2023, the Nigeria Customs Service Apapa Area Command reported N213 billion in income.
This was stated to journalists on Tuesday at the command by Auwal Mohammed, the Customs Area Controller in charge of it.
According to Mohammed, the service detained 144 million tramadol tablets worth N22 billion in March while they were being transported from India to Nigeria.
He claimed that two 40-foot containers held the 225mg tablets, each weighing 10.3 tonnes.
It is important to note that on March 31, 2023, we discovered a significant amount of 225 mg tramadol pills hidden in 2×40-foot containers with the tracking numbers TRHU 4758549 and TRHU 6936803, where 144 mg tablets of Tramadol were found in 720 cartons weighing 10.3 tons and coming from India. This single seizure is valued at N21.6bn.”
He said that throughout the period under consideration, the command also processed agricultural items for export, including sesame seeds, ginger, hibiscus, mineral resources, steel ingot, and others.
According to the head of Apapa Customs, 110, 448 metric tons of goods were exported during the first quarter of 2023.
“Export statistics indicate that the exported commodities are valued at N70 billion. which translates to a free onboard value of $159 million.
He added that the command had captured a total of 14 containers containing illegal goods during the time period under consideration.
“The products include tramadol with a duty paid worth of N22 billion, vegetable oil, shoes, discarded apparel, and raw wood.”
According to Mohammed, the command has started a manhunt for those responsible for such unlawful importations.
