Customs Transfer $1.2m Counterfeit Bills, 48 Drones, and More to EFCC and Army

The Nigeria Customs Service, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, has handed over counterfeit $1, 250,000 notes, cryptocurrency machines, and military accessories to representatives of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission and the Nigerian Army, respectively.

The NCS disclosed this in a statement posted on X.com on Friday.

The statement partly read, “In a press briefing held at the Command Headquarters in Lagos on May 9, 2024, Comptroller Charles Orbih, in charge of the command, explained that it is based on the directive of the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, to foster inter-agency cooperation and collaboration.

“Speaking on the achievement recorded by the command between January and April 2024, the Customs Area Controller said the sum of N19,037,442,310 was generated, representing a 42 percent collection of the revenue target given to the command and a 67 percent increase when compared to the preceding year 2023.”

In the statement, Comptroller Orbih highlighted their efforts to curb revenue loss, citing the seizure of precious stones, zinc, lithium, copper stones, and a large quantity of SIM cards. He also issued a stern warning to smugglers, emphasising the vigilance of customs officers.

The statement further mentioned that while the counterfeit notes and five cryptocurrency machines were handed over to the EFCC, 48 pieces of drones, 112 military wares, two bulletproof helmets, and three Army vests were handed over to the Military.

Receiving the items, the Assistant Commandant of EFCC II, Oguzi Moses, was quoted as saying, “This is just the starting point of our investigation. With this machine, we have a lead to discover all criminals behind this as our system would analyse all these crypto machines and produce a better result.”

Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding 81 Division, Major General Mohammed Usman, was reported to have appreciated the CGC and the CAC for ensuring sister agency collaboration.

He said, “As you can see, we are working together, and I know when we hand over these items to our drone experts, they will be able to use it.

“Some of these drones can last up to 3 days on air, which means some mischievous ones bring them in, and we are happy the Customs are up to their task.”

It was reported in 2022 that the NCS handed over a total of N3.88bn worth of contrabands to the Nigerian Army and the National Agency for Food and Drug, Administration and Control.

The contrabands handed to the military were reported to include 679 sets of drones and 638 packets of military wares.