{"id":123655,"date":"2025-11-07T17:20:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T16:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=123655"},"modified":"2025-11-07T17:20:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T16:20:56","slug":"auctioneers-allege-%e2%82%a62m-fixed-rate-scam-in-customs-container-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/auctioneers-allege-%e2%82%a62m-fixed-rate-scam-in-customs-container-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Auctioneers Allege \u20a62m Fixed-Rate Scam in Customs\u2019 Container Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
By Tracy Moses<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
The Association of Licensed Auctioneers of Nigeria (ALAN) has accused the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of engaging in large-scale impunity and violating extant laws in the disposal of seized goods and containers across the country.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
President of the association, Musa Kurra, raised the alarm, accusing Customs officers of blatant disregard for due process and statutory provisions. He alleged that seized items were being allocated directly to politically connected companies and individuals in violation of established laws.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Kurra\u2019s outcry follows the emergence of leaked internal documents exposing the direct allocation and sale of impounded containers to selected private firms by the NCS under questionable circumstances.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The documents, titled \u201cDirect Auction Allocation of Containers,\u201d were signed by H.H. Hadison, a Comptroller in charge of Special Duties, between April and July 2025, under the seal of the Nigeria Customs Service Committee on Direct Disposal of General Goods.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
According to the documents, several 40-foot containers containing vehicles, prefabricated houses, tiles, hospital equipment, and assorted goods were allocated to private companies at fees ranging from \u20a61 million to \u20a62 million each.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A review of at least five separate allocation letters revealed a recurring manual approval process, all bearing the same signature and \u201cRESTRICTED\u201d watermark, indicating a pattern of insider involvement.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In one of the letters, dated 31 July 2025, a firm with the code MSMU8098517 was granted access to four containers holding luxury vehicles, including Lexus RX330s, Lexus ES330s, and a Toyota Highlander, stationed at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, all reportedly auctioned at a combined fee of \u20a62 million.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Another document, dated 15 June 2025, approved the disposal of a container marked TCKU0400440, described as a \u201cprefabricated house,\u201d for \u20a62 million, while similar allocations of containers filled with construction slabs, used hospital equipment, cartons of drinks, Versace bond cement, and tiles were made in April and May 2025 under the same fee conditions.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The approval letters instructed beneficiaries to make payment within five working days and evacuate the goods within 10 working days, with a warning that failure to do so would result in forfeiture.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A section of one letter read:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“The Comptroller-General of Customs has allocated the listed containers to your company in line with the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, Section 119, via direct auction sale. The containers shall be released upon evidence of payment of the auction fee, VAT, and other charges within the stipulated time.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
However, Kurra faulted the entire process, saying the uniform pricing of \u20a62 million per container suggested a pre-determined arrangement inconsistent with standard valuation procedures used in legitimate auctions.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“The impunity with which the Service now operates is unimaginable,\u201d he lamented. \u201cThere\u2019s no respect for the law anymore.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He explained that the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), by law, the regulatory body overseeing procurement and auction matters \u2014 ought to be involved in every public asset disposal, as auctions fall within its purview.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“The BPP Act, enacted by the National Assembly, mandates that all forms of procurement, including auctions, be subjected to oversight to prevent abuse. Customs cannot operate outside this framework,\u201d he stated.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Kurra also cited provisions of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022 (POCA), which, he noted, clearly stipulate how confiscated or forfeited assets should be handled and disposed of by law enforcement agencies.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“Under the POCA Act, all seized assets must be sold through transparent public processes supervised by relevant authorities. The Act prohibits direct allocations or sales to individuals or organisations. Violations attract criminal sanctions,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
According to him, the so-called \u201cdirect auction allocations\u201d being executed by the Customs Service have no legal basis.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“There\u2019s no law in this country that gives Customs the right to carry out such private allocations,\u201d Kurra declared. \u201cWhen an agency becomes the seizing authority, the valuer, and the auctioneer, it becomes both judge and beneficiary of its own actions, that\u2019s lawlessness.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He further alleged that certain officers within the Service were enriching themselves through fraudulent sales of seized items.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“We have cases where Customs allocated 380 vehicles to one company for \u20a63.8 million, that\u2019s \u20a610,000 per vehicle. These included Prados, Hiluxes, and Benzes. This is outright robbery,\u201d Kurra alleged.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He added that another instance involved 53 vehicles sold for \u20a6530,000, translating to the same \u20a610,000-per-car pattern.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“Even a bicycle doesn\u2019t sell for \u20a610,000 these days,\u201d he said. \u201cInvestigations showed that most of these beneficiary companies belong to Customs officers and their relatives.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Kurra urged the Federal Government to urgently intervene and halt the trend, warning that unchecked corruption in Customs\u2019 auction processes was bleeding Nigeria of vital revenue.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“The President needs revenue to run the country. But rather than remit what belongs to the nation, some individuals are diverting it into private pockets,\u201d he lamented.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He called for a full-scale probe into Customs\u2019 asset disposal practices and strict enforcement of laws guiding public auctions.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“Customs should not be allowed to seize, value, and auction items all by themselves. There must be checks and balances. The time has come to restore sanity and accountability,\u201d Kurra concluded.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n