Senate Clears Customs of N62.2bn Under-Remittance Allegation

The Senate committee on public accounts has cleared the Nigeria Customs Service of allegations concerning a N62.2 billion under-remittance. This followed an investigation based on the 2019 audit report presented by the Auditor General of the Federation.

During the session held on Tuesday, Customs Comptroller General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi appeared before the panel and addressed 77 queries related to financial infractions from the 2019 and 2020 audit reports. Adeniyi explained that the N62.2 billion was misclassified and clarified that the funds were not meant for the federal account.

He stated that the total revenue collected by Customs was N691.242 billion, with N629.23 billion remitted, leaving a balance of N62.2 billion. The committee, led by Chairman Ibrahim Dankwabo, resolved to set up a smaller committee to reconcile the remaining 74 queries raised during the session.