By Uzor Odigbo
The Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has refuted claims by the duo of Damilola Simeon Kehinde said to be the Chairman of NANS JCC and Ogunrombi Gbemileke, identified as National President of NAOSS, alleging that the Command is involved in the smuggling of arms and ammunition into the country through the state.
According to the Command, the allegations which it described as malicious, misleading and likely to create unnecessary tension in Ogun State and the country was levelled against it during a purported press conference jointly addressed by Kehinde, Gbemileke and one other unidentified person, published on Sun online news of Thursday, August 26, 2021.
In a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, Hammed Bukoye Oloyede, the command categorically debunked the allegation of arms importation through Ogun State, noting that there was never a time arms and ammunition were allowed to be smuggled into the country through the state and it will not be allowed to be smuggled in whatever form.
The Command disclosed that it had since fortified the numerous illegal routes through which contrabands are smuggled into the Country with aggressive patrols and had stepped up its anti-smuggling operations in the State to checkmate the nefarious activities of enemies of the State.
The statement read in part: “Other allegation of smuggling activities taking place during the daytime is only in the imagination of the fabricator of that story. The tightened security architecture in the state today by Customs and other Security Agencies will not permit Smuggling of Contrabands and other prohibited items at night time not to talk of during the day.
“It is on record that since the resumption of the present Area Controller (CC Peter Kolo), the record of our achievements in the Command in both areas of revenue generation and anti-smuggling activities are being given out to the Press (media) on monthly basis in order for the public to be informed of our activities.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Command recorded over One Thousand, five hundred seizures of various contrabands and prohibited items ranging from foreign parboiled rice, foreign used vehicles, used shoes and clothing’s, Tomato Paste, Sativa (Marijuana), and petroleum products made for export since the beginning of the year.
“For instance seizures of Forty-six thousand, four hundred and ninety-one (46,491) bags of foreign parboiled rice were made in the Command between the months of January 2021 to August 2021. About 20 suspects are currently undergoing trial for various Smuggling offences in the Federal High Court, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“In as much as the Command does not want to join issues with the so-called students, their sponsors and collaborators we want to advise them to focus and concentrate on their studies and school activities so that they graduate in record time and be better citizens tomorrow instead of offering and allowing themselves to be used as a tool for blackmail of an individual and Government Institution.
“The Service wishes to implore them to channel their energy towards educating their fellow members of various communities on dangers inherent in Smuggling activities.
“Oratorically, where were the authors of this malicious publication when officers and men of the Customs Service were being daily attacked with AK47 Riffles, locally produced guns, pistols and other dangerous weapons with Charm by daredevil smugglers who are their brothers and sisters, cousins and uncles in the State. In most of these attacks, officers are injured, killed and Government properties destroyed (Vehicles and buildings set ablaze).
“What did they do and what did they say? These are the same element and group that carry placards and demonstrated to Government House and State House of Assembly last year December 2020 alleging incessant killings of their Citizens by Customs, what hypocrisy.”
The Command stressed that the allegations are baseless, unfounded, mischievous, dangerously misleading and aimed at causing a distraction to its operations and security architecture in Ogun State and the Country and should therefore be disregarded.
It concluded by saying that it is focused on its anti-smuggling duties and remains resolute to continue with the onslaught on the enemies of the state