Controller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali, has dissolved the Strike Force and reconstituted it in a decentralised form
Ali who announced the dissolution in a customs circular also appointed three Deputy Comptrollers of Customs to head Zones A(Lagos), B (Kaduna) and C (Owerri) in the circular signed by Augustine Chidi, Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Enforcement Investigation and Inspection.
The dissolved Strike Force, hitherto headed by Abdullah Kirawa,a Deputy Comptroller that covered the whole country was asked to handover to the newly decentralised body.
Deputy Comptroller Idris Dal, formerly of Bauchi /Gombe Command takes charge of Zone A, Deputy Comptroller Kolobe B. formerly of the Eastern Marine Command is to oversee Zone B while Deputy Comptroller Adamu A. M formerly of Western Marine Command takes charge of Zone C.
The dissolved Strike Force made seizures worth over N17b duty paid value and had recovered over N1b this year through issuance of demand notice given on consignments that underpaid duties.
The Strike Force is described as customs third layer of defence in the prevention of smuggling and duty evasion after the Area Commands and Federal Operations Unit.
Customs sources disclosed that Kirawa will resume duties at the Katsina Command of the service where he was serving before he was assigned to the Strike Force assignment
