Over 7,000 bags of smuggled parboiled rice and frozen poultry products have been impounded by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in two separate operations in Badagry, Lagos State, and Shagamu, Ogun State.
The goods seized in Badagry were hidden in large wooden boats.
NCS Public Relations Officer (Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ Ikeja), Uche Ejesieme, told TheNiche in an exclusive interview that the boat was laden with 4,404 bags of 50kg rice and 3,000 cartons of poultry products.
He put the cumulative duty paid value (DPV) at N44,626,000.
Three Customs officers of the Western Marine Command were seriously injured after seizing the boat at Bawe Creek, Badagry.
In his reaction, Customs Area Controller, Umar Yusuf, promised that the Lagos command would track down all smugglers.
FOU Zone A Controller, Turaki Adamu, said while inspecting the seizures at Gbaji-Yeke, Badagry that the operations “were driven by intelligence which was carefully articulated and discreetly executed, and the strategic planning and monitoring coupled with operational expertise displayed by the teams necessitated the successes.”
Adamu commended Lagos Roving Team leader, Assistant Controller, Adamu Abubakar, for the gallantry of his team.
He recalled the resuscitation of the ‘Customs Community Relations’ by his unit which provided a forum for the cross-fertilisation of ideas on ways to prevent smuggling.
Adamu commended the “overwhelming” collaboration and synergy with community dwellers and other security agencies.
He applauded the Baale of Gbaji-Yeke, Emmanuel Kwuakanm, in whose waterside the seizure was made, for providing support to officers who went for the operations.
He pledged that the FOU Zone A will continue to fine-tune operational modalities through proactive and strategic planning.
“The FOU ‘A’ under my watch will remain a rallying point in anti-smuggling. As a frontline unit, we are poised to drastically reducing incidences of smuggling.
“Though we appreciate the fact that smuggling, just like scavenging, is a global phenomenon, we are highly committed to eradicating it,” he stressed.
Adamu expressed appreciation to NCS Comptroller General, Dikko Abdullahi, and his management for providing logistics for the operations.
He promised “total annihilation” of smuggling in his area of jurisdiction and urged Nigerians to “oblige the unit with information on the activities of smugglers.”
He said the identities of informants are treated with utmost confidentiality and they need not fear.
“The unit will intensify patrol activities along the flanks and flash points particularly to ensure that no vacuum is created at this period. In view of this, I have given a marching order to team leaders to step up in accordance with official requirements.
“The unit maintains a very cordial relationship with the critical stakeholders, particularly the security agencies, the media, and various publics in line with the six-point agenda of [Abdullahi] as we will not rest on our oars in our effort to frontally tackle the hydra headed monster of smuggling.
“We will ensure that we remain several steps ahead of smugglers such that we can always decode their antics.”
Earlier this year, the FOU ‘A’ had intercepted at the Seme border smuggled poultry products worth N5.9 million concealed with 40 cartons of ceramic tiles in eight bathtubs.
In another development, the Army and the Lagos government have promised stronger cooperation with the FOU ‘A’ over border and environmental protection.
Commander of the 9th Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brigadier General, A.M. Sabo, also expressed desire to strengthen the relationship between the Army and the Customs to maintain security at the borders.
Sambo, who bared his mind during a visit to Adamu, expressed “satisfaction with the cordial working relationship” between the military and the Customs which will “further enhance mutual cooperation.”
He praised the Customs management under Abdullahi for the reforms in the Service.
Adamu thanked Sambo for the visit, which he said will afford the two agencies the opportunity to further cement their relationship.
“I feel deeply honoured with the visit and promise to work towards sustaining the age long relationship between the Army and the Nigerian Customs Service,” he said.
He thanked “the military, particularly those around the border areas, for their supportive role to the Customs whenever they are called upon.”
Adamu urged Sambo to continue to assist the Customs through operational backups whenever the need arises.
A delegation from the Lagos State Ministry of Environmental Services, led by a Deputy Director, Iyabo Philips, also visited FOU ‘A’ where she commended the level of environmental sanitation of the unit.
She disclosed that the ministry is poised to ensuring sustainable environmental management which led to the creation of the Zero Tolerance Programme “to curb environmental abuses, degradations and manipulations.”
Adamu said the unit “also has zero tolerance to environmental issues, and the Customs will always support the effort of the Lagos State Government to keep Lagos clean.”
