Customs Denies Compromise Of Revenues At Kano FTZ

THE Nigeria Customs Service's Kano/Jigawa State Command has denied rumors that the Kano Free Trade Zone is jeopardizing government revenue.

The story is false and far from the fact, according to a statement made by the command's spokesperson on Friday, Saidu Nuraddeen.

Instead, according to Nuraddeen, the command has placed its officers strategically to guarantee that finished goods from any excise plants under its supervision or within the zone are managed with proper vigilance.

Customs officials in the zone were charged with conspiring with the Nigeria Export and Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) to commit crimes that cost the Federal Government billions of dollars in lost revenue.

However, the Command responded quickly, pointing out in a statement that the accusers had only succeeded in demonstrating a lack of knowledge about the service's operations, particularly with regard to duties, import and export procedures, and the regulations governing trade in the Free Trade Zone.

It quoted Dauda Chana, the Command's Area Controller, as saying that the allegations were baseless, absurd, and intended to sabotage the Federal Government's well-intentioned efforts to establish the Zone.

He states that the command recorded N613,369,204.81 between January and April of 2024 as opposed to N132,436,766.00 it recorded in 2023, which it acknowledged as a clear indicator of rise in income generation by the service. This contradicts the charges of revenue loss.

Chana went on to explain that NEPZA controls the zone's operations and that NCS officers do not interfere with it unless there is a plan to export goods to Customs territory. This is because NEPZA ensures that smuggling and duty evasion are prevented within all of its jurisdiction, and records are kept for accurate duty collection and computation.

The statement stressed: “In the Free Trade Zone, there are productions taking place, there are manufacturing taking place and the end product of all these are finished products and for these to go out, duties are paid. So how does anyone come to the conclusion that finished goods are being moved out of the zone without paying duty or given illegal discount or destined for Customs territory?

“It is also good for the public to know that goods or raw materials locally sourced are duty free as well as exportation.

“Let it also be on record that the process of clearance involves many stages and we even have a unit domiciled in every Command that check after clearance of goods cleared for anomalies, so no officer can connive because the documents are all intact to show what transpired. This makes the allegation of compromise baseless.” 

Nevertheless, the Controller reaffirmed the Command's pledge to support lawful commerce without sacrificing national security, particularly when it comes to matters affecting special economic zones such as the Kano Free Trade Zone.