Abuja: The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has collected ?1.75 trillion as revenue for the first quarter of 2025. The Comptroller-General (C-G) of the service, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this at a news briefing on its activities for the first quarter.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the NCS exceeded this year's target by ?106.5 billion, achieving 106.47 percent of its quarterly projection. This performance represents a 29.96 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, where ?1.35 trillion was collected. A month-by-month analysis revealed January's collection of ?647.88 billion surpassed its monthly target by 18.12 percent, showing a 65.77 percent year-on-year growth. February's ?540.11 billion exceeded its target by 1.3 percent, achieving 19.97 percent growth over 2024 figures. March continued this trend with ?563.52 billion, delivering 2.7 percent above target and an 11.22 percent improvement over March 2024.
The service recorded 298 seizures, with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ?7.7 billion, representing an increase of 78.41 percent compared to ?4.32 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024. This achievement indicated improved operational effectiveness. Compared to the ?9.59 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2024, the service observed a 19.70 percent reduction in DPV, attributed to improved compliance facilitated by sustained stakeholders' engagements and the deterrent effect of enforcement activities.
Rice was the most prevalent seized commodity, with 159 cases involving 135,474 bags valued at ?939.31 million. Petroleum products followed with 61 seizures totaling 65,819 liters (?43.34 million DPV). Notably, 22 narcotics interceptions valued at ?730.75 million reflected an intensified focus on combating drug trafficking. The service also recorded three high-value wildlife product seizures with a ?5.65 billion DPV, underscoring both the lucrative nature of the illegal trade and NCS's commitment to environmental protection under international conventions.
Other notable seizures included 13 cases of textile fabrics valued at ?134.22 million DPV, five cases of retreaded tires valued at ?104.60 million DPV, and one pharmaceuticals case valued at ?17.19 million DPV. These comprehensive results demonstrate the service's vigilance across all categories of prohibited and restricted goods.
In the first quarter, the NCS processed 327,928 Single Goods Declarations for imports. It handled goods with a total mass of 4.91 billion kilograms and a Cost, Insurance, and Freight value of ?14.81 trillion.