by Azeez Adeniyi

The Senate has started investigations into an alleged revenue leakage of about N4trn in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) between 2006 and 2016.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff, Hope Uzodinma, made this known in an interview with journalists in Abuja.

Uzodinma said preliminary investigation revealed that the revenue leakage was due to non-implementation of the Form ‘M’ (Foreign Exchange forms) by the customs from 2006 to 2016.

He added that the cancelation of pre-arrival assessment reports and abandonment of goods declaration also led to the revenue loss.

He said the committee will ensure that the money is recovered.

Uzodinma said a public hearing would be held as part of the investigation.

He said, “The Senate Committee on Customs has condemned the inability of the Technical Committee on the Implementation of Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme to ensure that provisions of the Import Control Management Act are followed to the letter.

“The committee frowns on the quantum of revenue losses and it will stop at nothing in ensuring that those involved in this ugly act return all recoverable monies with them.

“The committee also frowns on the level of collusion and corruption within the Customs Service.

“At the end of our current investigation, all these will become a thing of the past and customs revenue will be enhanced while non-oil revenue will be improved upon.

“What we are investigating is not money spent. It is the leakages. For instance, I am supposed to pay XYZ amount of duty, I will abandon the documentation, go and get fake documents, collude with customs (officers), pay maybe a fraction of it (duty) and carry my goods. With that, the true import circle is not closed.

“Another instance is that assessment is abandoned or I (may) fill the Form ‘M’, for example, with a pro forma invoice, apply for foreign exchange in Central Bank of Nigeria, XYZ amount of money is allocated to me, money moves in (is released) but  no goods shipped. I will then go get fake documents, collude with customs (officers) and then retire the allocation.”

He said the committee had started questioning the companies and banks indicted in the case.

“We will not mention the companies involved because we are also very careful of the integrity and public perception of some of these companies, being that some of them are in the stock market. We will be diplomatic in carrying out this investigation.

“This is to the extent that little or no damage will be done to the integrity and image of such companies, provided that government revenues in their hands will be recovered,’’ Uzodinma said.

He assured that the investigation will be completed “because it has to do with the economy and revenue loss”.