The Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has put measures in place to boost non-oil exports through the command, which are already yielding results, as it handled a total of 122 trucks bearing 3, 770. 49 metric tonnes of various export goods in the last 10 days.

Recall that the newly appointed Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni had upon resumption penultimate Monday, pledged to adopt new strategies to boost trade while enforcing the nation’s anti-smuggling laws along the Abidjan -Lagos Corridor ALCO in line with the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS protocols on free movement of goods and persons.

Also recall that the command had nabbed a criminal cross-border gang that specialises in International Passport racketeering on the West African coastal corridor. This is in addition to the seizure of a total of $6million fake currency in $100 bill, among several others, which came only 10 days after the assumption of duty of the new Controller.

The non-oil exports, which are mainly made in Nigeria products, were handled under the country’s National Export Supervision Scheme with a Free On Board FOB value of N523.7million and a supervision fee of N2.62million.

Briefing newsmen at the command last week, Comptroller Nnadi also disclosed that the command within the 10-day period, facilitated the movement of 70 trucks laden with cargo under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme ETLS and subsequent collection of fees amounting to N 1.4million 14, 665.0l collected.

It was also gathered that the command handled a total of 81 baggage declarations with duty amounting to N4.6million, with the items imported under this arrangement to include food products and beverages produced within the sub-region.             It also reordered only five declarations of imports within this period with a total of N13.4million paid as duty.

On some of the challenges facing trade facilitation at the command he said: “The dearth of import is as a result of the trade policy introduced by the Republic of Benin, which traders and indeed the Service consider hostile to Nigeria.

“It is also important to note that the 2022 fiscal policy measures by the Federal Ministry of Finance lifted the ban on export of goods imported into Nigeria hitherto prohibited under item eight, Schedule six of the Common External Tariff CET.

“However, this is subject to the exporters obtaining approval from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and payment of 2.5 per cent export surcharge of the present value of the goods. The traders are yet to take full advantage of this gesture and we call on them to optimise the opportunities offered by the policy.”

While reiterating his earlier promise to encourage compliant traders along the corridor, he warned that the command under his watch would not hesitate to deal decisively with obstinate criminals who may wish to test this resolve. He also assured that officers and men of the command would continue to do everything humanly possible to promote legitimate trade not minding the challenges faced by the command, including the fact that it is still recovering from the effects of the border closure.

It would also be recalled that in addition to the seizure of the $600million fake currency and smashing of the cross-border criminal syndicate, which led to the seizure of 16 International Passports of different nationalities including Republic of Malta and 10 International Driver’s Licenses, the command had also within the review period seized 1,300 Jerry Cans (30litres), about 39,000litres of Premium Motor Spirit PMS, which were being smuggled out of the country through the creeks.

There were also more than 150 other jerry cans of the product seized that morning and loaded on four Toyota Hilux vans belonging to the service.

Also seized were more than 200 bags of baking flour with label written in French, which according the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC was fake, since it was not registered with the agency and its label not written in English Language, which is the official language of communication in the country.

Other seized items include 55 sacks of donkey skins, with each containing 100 skins, an indication that the economic saboteurs must have slaughtered 550 donkeys in the country, which spells doom for the country’s wild life economy.

The command also seized several cartons of expired agro-allied chemicals for farming, some of had expired since 2015 as well as several others, which labels were written in French, which contravenes the nation’s import laws.