By Ogunsona Samuel
Combat war drones and some military hardwares have been intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The suspicious Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, (UAVs) were imported into the country by yet to be identified individuals
Irohinoodua was informed that the discovery is giving the Federal Government a lot of concern.
“The administration is worried about the importation of military hardwares into the country. The equipment have no authorisation from the office of the National Security Adviser, (NSA)”, a source close to the Presidency told Irohinoodua.
The materials were intercepted on Friday.
The Customs Area Controller, Compt. Charles Orbih, told journalists in his office that the vigilance of the Customs Service led to the discovery.
He spoke to journalists in his office on Friday.
The weapond were equipped with first aid box space and weapon storage.
It also has the capacity of 70 hours of flight.
The Customs also seized another ser of 154 drones.
He said, “While the country allows drones of up to 250 grammes, this combat drone weighs about 5,000 grammes. With a flight capacity of over 70 hours and space for weapon handling, it can be utilized as a weapon of war and it lacks the essential EUC from the National Security Adviser (NSA),” he said.
He said The CAC also detailed the seizure of 330 military and other security wares, 126 walkie-talkies, and their accessories.
He said according to Section 245 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 which empowers a Customs Officer to seize and detain prohibited goods, the Command also made 125 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N801.56 million for the year 2023.
“The items intercepted include 89 Seized Drones; 66 Drones Detained; 330 Military and other Security Wares; 700 rolls of Cigarettes each containing 10 packs;126 Walkie Talkies and their Accessories; 87 pieces of Artifacts and Antiquities; 22 pieces of Elephant Tusks; $10,000 counterfeit notes handed over to Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and $8,800 concealed in an album,” he said
He listed other seizures include 300 pieces of lady’s footwear, 2 bags of Precious stones and other numerous items; three suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures.
According to him, investigation is ongoing and that those arrested will be charged to court as soon as it is completed.
The command said it generated N30.5 billion in revenue between January and December 2023.
Compt. Orbih said “The Muritala Mohammed International Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has collected the sum of N30.5 billion as revenue from 1st January to 31st December 2023. The revenue collected exceeded the revenue target given to the Command by the NCS Headquarters of N29.14 billion with a total sum of N1.35 billion which implies that the Command surpassed its revenue target by 5% for the year under review.
He spoke further that a comparative analysis of the revenue collected for the corresponding year 2022 of N20.89 billion which revealed a 46% increase in total revenue collection with a difference of N9.6 billion. Since my assumption of office in the Command, it is worthy to note that the Command has consecutively surpassed its monthly target from September to December 2023 as represented in the total revenue collected within the period under review.
The Customs boss said the commitment and diligence of the officers and men of the Command and other Units including the Valuation Unit, Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) and the Customs Police enabled seamless operation of carrying out these enormous tasks.