The Nigeria Customs Service is at the moment enmeshed in a duty inflation scandal that is capable of dragging the name of the service in the mud and further expose the underhand dealings officials of the Federal agency have been involved in over the years, as an Uyo based businesswoman has raised an alarm over an outrageous duty bill the service handed her and has threatened to take legal action over what she termed a sham.

According to reports reaching DAILY POST, the woman, Mrs. Patience Esekhile, had bought some cloths from the UK and had them sent to her through United Parcel Service, UPS via the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. However, the woman got the shock of her life when Officials of the Customs Service slammed her with a duty of N199, 156.30 for a shipment weighing about 7kg.

Not satisfied with the outrageous bill and smelling a rat, Esekhile’s shipping agents, UPS, wrote back to the Customs Service, protesting the method used by the agency in arriving at the duty bill and appealing for a downward review of the charges.

The UPS letter reads in part: “It has been observed that a very high duty charge was placed on the shipment of low valued invoice. The duty charge was calculated based on different value of $50 for each item which resulted in very high duty charged on the shipment.

“Some items of 6kgs were imported earlier which attracted a minimal charge as against the high duty charge on this shipment of 7kgs

“The detailed invoice of the items as well as the correspondence with the merchandise for the shipment is hereby attached for your consideration.

“In view of the above, we hereby solicit your understanding on this request for reassessment of the duty charged considerably so that the owner can take delivery of the goods”.

Despite this complaint and appeal for a review, the Customs Service refused to come down but instead, detained the goods and refused to release them to the owner.

Frustrated by the recalcitrant attitude of the service, Mrs. Esekhile wrote in protest to them, querying the grounds for the charges and where they got the value attributed to the shipment.

Esekhile wrote “I write to complain of the over charge that got to me concerning my goods.

“The reason stated for detaining my items is a complete sham. You indicated that the value for the items are false even after seeing the invoice attached and then went ahead to give a different value of $50 for each item without communication which has delayed the items from getting to me.

“Please note that the invoice attached to it is real and the invoice states the value of the items as that is how this company gives out invoices. The invoice shows the exact amount at which these items were produced in their country ‎at £3 per item. I expected the calculation to be done based on the value as stated on the invoice instead of detaining it and posing an exorbitant charge.

Despite all the appeals, the Customs Service still turned a deaf ear and held on to the goods and depriving the importer to meet her contractual obligations to those she had wanted to use the shipment to work for.

Speaking to DAILY POST on her ordeal in the hands of the Custom Service, Esekhile said it has been frustrating getting the service to see reasons with her and have her goods properly valued and charged appropriately.

According to her, the continued detention of her goods has impacted negatively on her activities, as the items detained were meant for some of her clients.

“The Customs Service, by their action, is out to rip me off and this is not right. The items in question weighs just 7kg and cost less than N27, 900 for production which was sent in the invoice to Customs but they are asking me to pay about N200,000 as duty. It does not make any sense. It’s a scam and I suspect there is a group in the agency that specializes in fleecing unsuspecting Nigerians.

“The most annoying aspect is the fact that what was valued at 3 pounds each by the company in UK, our country’s Custom Service valued it at 50 dollars each. Where did they get that from and on what basis? The world is now a global village; any agency of government that worth its name can always make inquiries and get the authentic value of any item. So it amounts to sheer wickedness and a dereliction of duty for the officials at the MMIA to just sit down in their cubicles and impose imaginary values on goods and senseless charges”, Esekhile said.

DAILY POST investigation revealed that so many Nigerian business people, who are engaged in such insignificant importations, have always been at the mercies of the men of the customs service, with many of them having their goods confiscated.

A customs insider confided in this reporter that most times, some of the men at the MMIA come up with outrageous charges so as to prevent the owners to clear them if they are interested in the shipment.

“The truth is that a lot of underhand dealings happen at the airpport. Officials are in the habit of inflating duty charges to prevent low level importers from clearing their goods so they can appropriate them through the back. It is a terrible situation, but they always get away with it”, the insider said.

Esekhile, who lamented her loss occasioned by the detention of her items, is appealing to the authorities of the Nigeria Customs Service, especially the Comptroller General, to intervene and prevail on the Customs officials at the MMIA to release her goods, as it’s beginning to impact negatively on her relationship with her clients.

Esekhile said she will stop at nothing to ensure that justice is done as she is already talking with her lawyer on possible legal action.