By Fred JEREMIAH, Lagos
Committed to the fiscal policy thrust of the federal government of Nigeria as embedded in the Comptroller General of Customs, tripod policy agenda aimed to generate more revenue, suppress smuggling activities and enhance a robust trade facilitation, the attention of the Nigeria Customs Service, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command, has been drawn to a media report concerning an incident involving a passenger during customs clearance procedures at the Arrival Hall D of the old terminal.
This information was contained in a statement issued and signed by the command Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Customs, Abdul Usman, and made available to GLOBAL RAYS Media.
The statement reads in part: “The incident involves one Mr. Oke Adhekegba, who arrived in Lagos aboard British Airways Flight Number BA-75 from London on Friday, 16th May 2025 at approximately 18:47 hours. Preliminary findings indicate that, following a careful examination by officers of the Service with the name Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) KO ADEBAYO and Assistant Superintendent of Customs I (ASC I) CC UGBOMA, the passenger was accompanied by 10 luggages containing multiple items, including 15 pairs of footwear, 22 bottles of perfumes, 12 pieces of bags and numerous new clothing.”
It asserted that, “These items were assessed at $1,948.15 USD upon proper valuation. Using the prevailing exchange rate of ₦1,598.22, the value in naira amounted to ₦3,113,574.00. In line with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCSA) 2023, the applicable charges which are Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) charge, Import Duty, Surcharge (SUR), ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) Levy, and Value Added Tax (VAT) were computed, amounting to ₦1,000,004.00, which has since been duly remitted into the Federal Government’s coffers (Copy attached).”
In his remarks, the Customs Area Controller, CAC, Compt. Effiong Harrison, said, “As a responsible agency committed to professionalism, transparency, and integrity, the MMIA Command does not condone unethical behaviour or compromise of standard operational procedures by its personnel or members of the travelling public. The Command has therefore commenced a full-scale investigation to establish the facts of the matter.”
In addition, the CAC asserted, ” The Command remains open to scrutiny and welcomes constructive engagement from stakeholders, while it reiterates that duty must be paid on dutiable items as prescribed by the law. The Command will not hesitate to enforce the relevant provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, where any passenger is found to have breached the law for personal gain.”
However, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command wishes to assure the public of its commitment to facilitating legitimate travel and trade, while upholding zero tolerance for misconduct or abuse of process at all ports of entry.
