Customs debunks rumours on auctioning 7,000 uncleared vehicles 

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has dismissed rumours making the rounds that a special auction of over 7,000 cars will soon be held by the Service.

Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Timi Bomodi in a statement on Monday said that the Customs electronic auction (e-auction) platform is functional and remains the only authentic means of auctioning goods to members of the public.

The statement reads, “We wish to state that auctions are periodic and advertised in advance on our website to avail members of the public the opportunity of selecting and bidding for items of their choice.

“It will be recalled that the Service deployed the e-auction platform in July 2017 specifically to improve efficiency in revenue generation to the federal government, as well as provide equal opportunities to all Nigerians in the seamless disposal of seized/condemned and overtime/abandoned cargoes.

“Since its implementation, the e-auction has lived up to expectations by guaranteeing transparency and integrity in the auctioning process.

“Requirements to take part in the e-auction bidding process by interested public/bidders include:

“Applicant must have a valid tax identification number (TIN) issued by Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) with an active e-mail account for the issued TIN.

“Conditions and Terms of this auction are to be carefully considered by an interested person before acceptance.

“Applicant must ensure he/she has an authentic and nationally accepted means of identification i.e. international passport, driver’s license, national identity card or voters card.

“Other guidelines can be found on the e-auction portal at https://app.trade.gov.ng/eauction/.”

Meanwhile, the NCS has urged owners of uncleared vehicles in the ports to avail themselves of the VIN-Valuation protocols, which it said have simplified, automated and made user-friendly the clearance procedure.