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Tag: Customs

  • US Customs computer collapse, thousands of travelers stranded

    US Customs computer collapse, thousands of travelers stranded

    A nationwide collapse of the US customs service computer system left thousands of passengers lined up at airports awaiting clearance to officially enter the country, the authorities and US media said Monday.

    “Customs and Border Protection has nationwide outage. Expect delays in passenger processing until the system is restored,” Fort Lauderdale’s airport, a major hub for the United States and Caribbean, said on Twitter.

    A Customs and Border Protection department spokesman told NBC News that there had been a disruption at several airports and was “taking immediate action to address the technology disruption.”

    After a few hours of trouble, the glitch was fixed.

    “All airports are back online after a temporary outage of CPB’s processing systems. No indication the disruption was malicious in nature,” Customs said on Twitter.

    But that was not enough for the thousands of tired and cranky passengers who arrived at US gates but then were lined up, in travel limbo, unable to clear customs.

    An official for Miami International Airport told NBC that passengers on “more than 30 international flights were affected” and one traveller told the same affiliate that two people fainted waiting in line.

    “People are starting to argue and get frustrated,” Cali Rez tweeted in Miami. “Get someone down here to explain things and direct the lines ASAP.”

    The affected airports are known to include Miami International, Atlanta Hartsfield, Boston Logan and Fort Lauderdale, officials said.

  • $25,000 ship levy tears Customs CG, SSS boss apart

    $25,000 ship levy tears Customs CG, SSS boss apart

     

    The heads of two key federal agencies who are also close allies of President Muhammadu Buhari are currently at each other’s throat over collection of $25, 000 of ship levy from vessels that berth at the nation’s ports.

    The disagreement by the two officials appears to confirm insinuations of division among some leading lights of the Buhari administration.

    The turf war stems from a letter written by the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Lawal Daura, to President Buhari on September 8.

    In the letter, the security chief accused the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) of introducing $25,000 as new Temporary Import Permit (TIP) levy on each vessel that berths to discharge petroleum products in Nigeria.

    Daura is a kinsman of the President while the Director-General of NCS, Hameed Ali, a retired colonel was Buhair’s chief of staff before he won election as Nigeria’s president.

    The said levy, as Daura reported to the President, was illegal as it was not provided for on the PPRA template, not receipted, and could increase the cost of petrol by 56 kobo per litre.

    In international trade, TIP is a customs’ procedure under which certain goods can be brought into a country without payment of duties or taxes and without import prohibition and restriction. But before it is issued, those knowledgeable about NCS operations regarding the issuance said an applicant must post a bond to cover the import duty and other charges inclusive of the 25 per cent penalty in case of violation of the terms.

    In Daura’s memo to the President, he further reported that the alleged introduction of $25,000 TIP levy followed the detention of a vessel, MT Histria Ivory at Apapa by NCS operatives.

    He reported to the President that Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) made the complaint that formed the basis of his memo.

    A week after receiving the memo, Buhari forwarded it to Ali, demanding his “summary report of your considered view”.

    In his response, Ali told the President that the SSS under Daura appeared to be more interested in smear campaign and personal vendetta than in thorough investigation and anti-corruption efforts of the administration.

    He explained that the said vessel, MT Histria Ivory, was truly detained but that was after it was sighted discharging cargo at Apapa Jetty.

    He said the detention was to ascertain whether it had TIP or liable for payment of duty.

    While the investigation was ongoing, before Daura’s memo to the President, MOMAN alleged imposition of $25,000 TIP levy per vessel by the NCS via a letter copied to the Minister for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu; Minister for Finance, Kemi Adeosun; the SSS and the Customs chief.

    MOMAN wrote the complaint letter one week before Daura sent the memo to the president.

     

  • Female customs officer kidnapped in Lagos

    Two gunmen suspected to be kidnappers, on Tuesday night abducted Mrs Comfort Alaba, a staff of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Festac Town, Lagos.

    Sources told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos, that the two-man gang stormed Tastee Fried Chicken (TFC) outlet at 22 Road, FESTAC Town and abducted the woman at about 8pm.

    NAN gathered that the victim, who was attached to Tincan Command SDV, a bonded terminal of the NCS, was with her two daughters, when the masked men stormed out of their car and picked her up.

    One of the victim’s daughters, Faith Alaba, went to social media to announce the abduction of their mother and called on Nigerians and security agents to assist the family to secure her release.

    She said: “My mother was kidnapped this evening in front of me and my younger sister in a black Murano jeep.

    “We were at TFC at 22 road, FESTAC outside in the car and two men came around.

    “My sister ran out of the car. My mother was still screaming and struggling when the other one pointed a gun at me.

    “We ran away and by the time we looked back as we were screaming for help, they zoomed off.

    “Please, reach me and my family on 08166098469.

    “Our mother was taken away in a black Murano Jeep with Teg. No. EPE103CY,” Faith pleaded in her tweeter page.

    She said that the two masked men came out of their vehicle with guns and kidnapped his mother.

    “I saw them at close range but I won’t be able to recognise them.

    “I don’t know if anyone has any grudge against my mum but I am appealing to them to please free her.

    “Already, we have notified the police at Area E command, but nothing has been done so far to the best of our knowledge.

    “We have not been contacted by the kidnappers. My mother is smallish in stature. She has a gap in her teeth and has a huge birthmark on her arm, which is arrow- like shaped.”

    The Customs spokesman in Tincan Island, Uche Ejesieme, a Chief Superintendent of Customs, confirmed the incident.

    He said that his office had informed Customs headquarters in Abuja about the development.

    “The lady is attached to SDV, one of custom’s bonded terminal under Tincan Island Command.

    “The family has reported to the police and the police are investigating with a view to rescue her.”

    Lagos Stat Police spokesperson, SP Dolapo Badmos, who also confirmed the incident, said the police are working on her release.

  • Customs intercepts container of Jollof Rice, Yam Porridge, Egusi from India

    Customs intercepts container of Jollof Rice, Yam Porridge, Egusi from India

    The Tin-Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a 20ft container of “ready to eat foods’’ like Egusi Soup, Jollof Rice, Ogbono, Yam Porridge imported from India.

    The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Bashar Yusuf, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Lagos by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, Mr Uche Ejesieme.

    Yusuf spoke with stakeholders at the SDV/SCOA Terminal while handing over the container of imported prepared foods to officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    The controller described the scenario as an “aberration”, considering the fact that government granted zero duty for the importation of machinery for the packaging of agricultural products.

    “Why should indigenous menu be imported into the country at a time when investors are much sought after to boost local industries,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes Yusuf as saying.

    The controller said the command generated 25.7 billion in November, up from N25.3 billion recorded in October.

    Yusuf said that the higher revenue was recorded in spite of the recession and low imports.

    He said that the command would continue to explore all avenues for maximum revenue collection.

    According to him, this is in view of the exigencies of the moment, which placed more responsibilities on the service.

    Yusuf urged potential investors to take advantage of the numerous export potential in the country for their socio-economic benefits.

    In a related development, while briefing a group of senior officers undergoing training in the command, the controller admonished them to make professionalism, integrity and transparency as their watchword.

    He also urged the officers to ensure effective leadership and supervision in carrying out their duties.

    Yusuf said the various trade facilitation tools as provided in the automation of Customs procedures would guide the officers in the discharge of their functions.

    The controller told the officers to see training and re-training as a veritable tools that would sharpen their knowledge toward achieving desired results.

    He appreciated the Comptroller-General of Customs, Retired Col. Hameed Ali, for effectively re-positioning the service in spite of global recession.

    “NCS is still working tirelessly to remain on top of its statutory mandate,’’ the controller said.

    Yusuf said that this could not have been possible if not for the pragmatic leadership of the comptroller-general and his management.

    “In this era and dispensation, officers are expected to be above board with deep sense of commitment and responsibility in the discharge of their functions.

    “The Change ideology of the comptroller -general must be given priority attention,’’ the controller said.

    He, however, warned that anybody that fails to key into the new order would be seriously sanctioned.