The Interpol Unit of Nigeria Customs Service at Seme Border has stepped up the fight against trans-border crimes like car theft, duty evasion in the guise of importing products made outside of West Africa under Ecowas Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and general prevention of government revenue loss.

From the days of Shina Rambo, a notorious armed robber, who reigned in the crime world in the late 1990s, criminals traveling across Nigeria’s national borders to neighbouring countries saw the feat as a plus in their unlawful deeds.

In his several confessions, after he became a Christian, Rambo, whose real names were Matthew Oluwanifemi, disclosed that he terrorised the South West of Nigeria and resided partly in Benin Republic and Nigeria.

His revelations were a confirmation of how possible it was for trans-border criminals to operate in more than one country and cross over to any of the proximate states at will.

More worrisome was the reality that thieves move stolen wares from one country to another, most times through illegal routes. This created additional tasks for customs officers as they have to contend with robbers, kidnappers and other perpetrators of heinous crimes in addition to their known function of battling dare devil smugglers.

Shina Rambo was one among many criminals who saw borders as a thoroughfare zone.  The case is no longer same as intelligence backed by uncompromising enforcement, supported by technology are being deployed from Seme in Lagos as a model for enhanced border security.

Posh cars are the most expensive stolen commodities that also aided the thieves mobility from country to country through the land borders. It is a known fact that in the past, stolen vehicles were sold with ease across borders of countries along the Lagos- Abidjan corridor.

A customs Interpol unit at the busy Seme Border has changed the story. Working in sync with other security agencies, such movements by criminals have come under check and intense scrutiny.

Some of the stolen vehicles prevented for exiting the Lagos-Abidjan corridor through Seme Interpol’s effort.

Customs Area Controller of Seme Border Command, Aliyu Mohammed, has disclosed that vehicle theft from Nigeria to other countries along the Lagos Abidjan corridor has now been made seemingly impossible.

Over 67 units of exotic cars with duty paid value above N1.3b stolen from Nigeria have been recovered through the customs Interpol Unit collaboration with the Interpol arm of Cote De Voire.

The unit has also made it difficult for importers to abuse the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) who attempt shipping products manufactured outside West Africa into Nigeria without paying duty.

The ETLS is an extant treaty among ECOWAS member countries which seeks to promote free trade with zero duty incentives among the countries in the sub region.

The Interpol drive has resulted in redirecting goods disguised under ETLS to pay appropriate duty to government as our reporter can confirm that there were attempts in the past to abuse it and compromise the country’s revenue.

Mohammed said thieves and smugglers who now find it difficult to exit Nigeria with stolen vehicles are resorting to using other routes but are eventually caught through Seme Customs Interpol efforts.

According to the Controller, the border has become very difficult to smugglers as there is an increased round the clock surveillance on import and export activities which requires scrutiny on any vehicle leaving the country through the border.

He added that the Interpol arm of the command is manned by internationally trained and certified officers who have also carried out train the trainers sessions to boost their capacity and enhance national security through the border.

Seme customs from our investigation has become a model command in Nigeria Customs Service as no other land border in the country has the manpower, technical know how and international link that exists there.

”Vehicle thieves cannot come to Seme because they know we are equipped with the technology and manpower to apprehend them. Even when they do it through other routes, we have our way of getting them caught

”I also monitor movements of people and vehicles from my office. I see rice being brought in every hour of the day and vehicles being seized when necessary. Our Interpol operation is in sync with our Controller General’s zero tolerance for illegalities

”We also use it to enhance our duty collection and ensure our border functions in line with globally acceptable standards for trade facilitation and security of imports and exports” Mohammed said.

Officer in charge of the Seme Interpol Unit, Idris Lecky said thieves specialize in taking stolen exotic vehicles out of Nigeria across other West African countries along the Lagos Abidjan corridor.

Lecky an Assistant Comptroller of Customs said the Interpol collaboration which entails intelligence gathering and sharing has been paying off ever since the first trial sting operation code named ”Operation Adwempa” was carried out on February  2016.

The operation according to him involved representatives of Germany, France and many other countries and has significantly led to a reduction of car thefts through the nation borders.

He explained that at the Cote De Voire end of the thieves journey, interpol officers seeks clarification from Seme Customs Interpol desk before allowing any vehicle with Nigerian plate number to proceed along the corridor.

Most of the seized vehicles were discovered to have traveled with fake registration numbers and forged documents. Lecky said within minutes the Ivorian officials has the capacity to confirm from Seme Border Customs Interpol if the customs duty documents are genuine.

He added that there is a collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps and Lagos Vehicle Inspection Service to quickly verify whatever claims put forward by those in possession of the stolen cars.

Lecky said Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) and the C number are helpful features that car thieves cannot duplicate successfully as attempts to do such has always failed.

He disclosed that due to the groundbreaking efforts of Customs Interpol, there has been letters of commendation applauding the feats of customs in trans-border security.

Imports and exports laden vehicles as well as cross border travelers are watched closely in Seme in the pursuit never to compromise national security while promoting trade and regional integration among citizens of ECOWAS member states.

Part of Interpol’s capacity building programme last year targeted human trafficking and trans-border crime in West Africa and the Sahel region.

Last year, Nigeria, through her customs service liaised with Interpol’s Integrated Border Management Task Force (IBMTF).