Posted by Accusations that the Kano Free Trade Zone has been used to launder money from the Nigerian government have been denied by the Nigeria Customs Service’s Kano/Jigawa State Command.
In a statement released on Friday, command spokesperson Saidu Nuraddeen characterized the news as completely false and disconnected from truth.
According to Nuraddeen, the command has placed its officers in a way that guarantees careful control of finished goods coming from the zone or any of the excise plants that fall under its scope.
The federal government lost billions of dollars in income because customs officials at the zone conspired with the Nigeria Export and Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) to commit illegal acts.
In a statement, however, the Command quickly responded, pointing out that the accusers had only succeeded in showing their lack of knowledge about the service’s operations, particularly in the areas of duty, import/export procedures, and the regulations governing trade in the FTZ.
According to the report, Dauda Chana, the Area Controller of the Command, characterized the accusations as baseless, comical, and an attempt to derail the positive intentions of the federal government in establishing the Zone.