The Kano/Jigawa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service and the Management of Kano Free Trade Zone have debunked an article alleging irregularities at the Free Trade Zone causing the federal government huge loses in revenue generation.
Superintendent of Customs, ML. Alabi, and SA, Special Duties to the Kano/Jigawa Comptroller, Dauda Ibrahim Chana, while reacting to an article titled: Federal Government losing huge revenue to saboteurs at Kano Free Trade Zone published by an online platform described it as malicious, unfounded and an attempt to discourage officers and men of the Customs.
They said, a so called self-acclaimed economic expert, Mr. Audu Abubakar, who accused men of the Customs of illegalities in the article succeeded in displaying his ignorance in activities of the Nigeria Customs especially in the areas of Duty, Import and Export processes and the laws guiding trade activities in the Free Trade Zone while describing the journalist behind the said story as unprofessional, violating the journalistic code of objectivity, fairness and balanced story, publishing an accusation without any efforts to speak with those concerned.
He said: “We woke up to a story accusing our men of illegalities making the government to lose billions of naira as revenue.
“The claims that our men are conniving with some business men to divert finished products to the Export Processing Zone and pay only 30% Customs duty and or sometimes pay nothing is unfounded, laughable, a deliberate mischief to drag the Service and the good intention of the federal government for creating the Zone to Facility ease of doing business and create more employment for its people.
“We were even more surprised by the attitude of the reporter who would go ahead to write a story without investigating claims raised and giving a chance to the accused for a balanced story. It is not only unprofessional but an insult on the noble profession.”
Alabi stated that, contrary to the allegations of revenue lost, the Kano/Jigawa recorded N613,369,204.81 between January-April 2024 as against N132,436,766.00 in 2023; a clear indication of rise in revenue generation by our men.
