By Ayomide Otitoju
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says insecurity in parts of the country is negatively affecting its operations and revenue generation.
The Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs and Zonal Coordinator, Zone B, Nsikak Umoh, disclosed this in Minna while inspecting the Niger/Kogi Area Command headquarters and engaging vehicle importers on operational challenges facing the command.
Umoh said the security challenge was not limited to the Niger/Kogi Area Command, but affected several Customs formations across the North-West, including Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina and Zamfara states.
“The security challenge is not peculiar to only Niger/Kogi Area Command. A whole of North-West comprising Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina and Zamfara States, which are all under my command, are facing the same security challenge,” she said.
She said the worsening security situation had exposed Customs personnel to increasing threats, forcing some officers to adopt more cautious approaches that could affect revenue collection.
According to her, the service was encouraging officers to adopt intelligence-led operations to minimise risks while ensuring that legitimate Customs duties continued to be collected.
“But we are trying our best to encourage them to use an intelligence-based operating system to do their job, and that is why in most of the commands, we have a reduction in revenue collections,” she said.
The ACG also expressed concern over the impact of insecurity on the physical and psychological wellbeing of Customs personnel, noting that some officers had developed health complications, including hypertension, due to fear and stress associated with their duties.
Despite the challenges, Umoh said the Niger/Kogi Area Command had continued to perform strongly in revenue generation.
She disclosed that the command had exceeded its monthly revenue target of N17 million, generating more than N200 million as of August 12.
Umoh commended Customs officers and stakeholders in the command for sustaining revenue collection despite the difficult operating environment.
