“We realized N556.74m from e-auction of 462 vehicles”- Customs refute fraud allegations

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reported that they realized approximately N556.74 million from an ongoing e-auction of 462 impounded vehicles.

The statement was aimed to refute rumors circulating about fraudulent activities within the auction process, including allegations of selling 300 vehicles to a single individual at an extremely low rate.

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) 100 Compliance team had accused the e-auction committee of engaging in monumental fraud.

The allegations, signed by the National Coordinator of the Compliance Team, Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim, suggested that over 300 impounded vehicles were allotted to a single person at a rate of N10,000 per vehicle.

The National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, CSC Abdullahi Maiwada, responded to these claims in a statement. He clarified that, from the data collected during five successful bidding windows, 13,605 applicants registered on the e-auction portal. Out of the 476 impounded vehicles uploaded on the service portal, 462 were won by applicants, contributing to the total revenue of N556,738,736.

Refuting the claim that over 300 vehicles were auctioned to a single individual through underhand payments, Maiwada labeled the allegation as “entirely false, misguided, and spurious.”

He further clarified that the suggested token sum of N10,000 collected as duties on the e-auction window, which has a reserved price of N400,000, is misleading and a misrepresentation of facts.

“We wish to categorically deny involvement in fraudulent activities or underhand dealings in the e-auctioning of vehicles or other goods”, he said.

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