By Stephen Ubanna
Comptroller Dalha Chedi Wada, Area Controller, Katsina Customs Command, Katina, home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, appears to have to have taken advantage of the reopening of the Jibia, Land Border, between Nigeria and Niger Republic, last April to intensify the Command monthly revenue collection as all areas of revenue leakage were said to have been blocked.
Signs that most of the smugglers who have been having a running battle with the Command’s Patrol officers on the road and those at the various Land borders Checkpoints in the state have turned to Legitimate trade with the reopening of the Jibia border , that was closed alongside other borders across the country in August 2019, alongside is evident with the increased inquiries at the Command Headquarters in Katsina by importers and exporters to ascertain the type of goods that could be imported into the imported into the country in or exported the 2022, Fiscal Policy measure as approved by the Katsina state born Nigerian President. The alleged importers and exporters may have increased their inquiries at the Command Headquarters to take advantage of the reopening of the the Jibia border last April to go into Legitimate trade.
The 2022, Fiscal Policy measures was said to have been made up of Supplementary Protection measures , SPM, for the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Common External Tariff, CET, 2022-2026, and excise duties on Nonalcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages, Cigarettes and Tobacco products as well as Telecommunication services. It wassaid to have also contained the country I reised mport Prohibition List Trade.
Going by the 2022 the, Fiscal Policy measure as approved by the Katsina state born Nigerian, which is in line with the provisions of the ECOWAS CET, which comprises of three annexes which include Import Adjustment Tax, IAT, list, with additional taxes and Levy on 172 tariff lines of extant ECOWAS CET, the Katsina Command was said to have collected about N100million duty within the month of July 2022, alone.
The Customs Comptroller, had said that the Command witnessed a drop in its revenue collection due ‘’to the incessant of Bandits Group attacks in the’’, confirming what Hameed Ali, a retired Army Colonel had said that the revenue generations from the Land border stations across the country are not very encouraging.
In the area of exports the Command was said to have handled, 872.40 tonnes of exportable cargoes, such as Cement, Hibiscus Flower, Chilli Pepper, Animal Feeds, Tamarind, Beverages, with a Free On Board, FOB, value, of N538,406,126.45.

The Katsina Command may have shown its prowess in the area of anti-smuggling operations. Recall that the Nigerian President, had banned the importation of Foreign parboiled rice from the Asian country of Tailand and other brands of Foreign rice from other parts of the world, including vehicles, from the Land border stations on January 1st, 2017. This may have encouraged Comptroller Wada to clampdown on the dare-devil smugglers in Katsina, since May 021, without giving them a breather.
It was not surprising why the Command has continued to make Contraband seizures between May 2021 and now.
Some of the vehicles that were said to have fallen into the waiting hands of the Command Patrol Team officers at the checkpoints and various unapproved routes in the state is a Daft Truck with Registration No. GS888 LND and Duty Paid Value, DPV. of about N6 million.

Another of such high profile Tucks intercepted by the Command in the month of July wasa Used IVECO, with Registration NO. GWA789 XA and DPV of N5.13 million. This is in addition to eight other brands of vehicles ranging from NISSAN Bus, with Registration No. BRT 488 AA, Used LENCIA Bus with Registration, No. 649 AAA, Used Peugeot 406 with Registration No.GS995 LND, to Grander CATAPILER. The total DPV, of the nine Used vehicles in the period under review was put at about N45.6million. Note that the Command also intercepted a Used motorbike with a market value of N60,000.00.
Indeed, the common feature of all the vehicles that was said to have been intercepted by the Command during the month of July was the fact that they have been registered the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, in the state, meaning that it requires an eagle eyed to be able to identify such vehicles on the road without much ad-dos. His is where Comptroller Wada and his Patrol Team officers needed to be given kudo for making such vehicle seizures without firing of any bullet on the road to stop the smugglers.
Besides the vehicle seizures, made by the Command within the month of July, it was said to have also made reasonable Merchandise seizures. Given an insider information, of the Merchandise seizures, the Katsina Command Area Comptroller, had said that they intercepted 447 ‘50Kg each, Bags of Foreign rice, with a DPV. of about N12.3million, 337 cartons of Foreign Spaghetti, 32 cartons of Foreign Macaroni, 115, ‘’25’’ each, Kegs of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol , 89 Jerry cans of Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, of 25 Litres each, six Bags of 50Kg each of Foreign Flour, 120 Bags of Foreign Flour of 25Kg each.
This is in addition to seven cartons of Foreign milk, eight cartons Foreign Creamer Milk, 450 Bags of Potash 13 Bags of Tiger Nuts of 100Kg each and 1,000 pieces of Hides and Skin. The cumulative value of the Merchadise goods intercepted by the Command was put at about N28.12 million. Suffice to say that the Grand total of the value of Contraband Vehicles and Merchandise goods intercepted within the month under review was about n74 million.
Appealing to the smugglers to turn to Legitimate trade, the Customs Comptroller, was said to have made made it clear to the unrepentant smugglers that they will continue to lose their Contraband goods if they fail to change. There is no gain saying the fact that most of the vehicles and Merchandise goods seized in different inappropriates routes in Katsina state were imported from the Autonomous port of Benin, Cotonou nd Bollore port, in Benin Republic, for Niger market but diverted to Nigerian market and ended up falling into the waiting hands of Katsina Command Patrol Team officers o the road.