By Stephen Ubanna
More facts have emerged why Cannabis Sativa, popular Indian Hemp smugglers, grown in the West African country of Ghana, and other Contraband items are still having their way in Ogun, home state of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which according to the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, under the close watch of Kemi Nandap, has 94 illegal routes, the state used by the economic saboteurs to carry out their nefarious activities
A source informed The Value News online Magazine that much of the routes used by the smugglers to carry out their illegal activities are mainly located in most of the Communities in Ipokia, Imeko/Afon, Yewa north and Yewa south,Local Government Areas of the south western Ogun state because they share border with the neighbouring Republic of Benin.
The insider source confirmed that the Ogun I, Command enforcement officers may not have been able to access most of the Border Communities in the state with their operational vehicles because of the topography of the areas. Take for instances full beat the smugglers in their own game because of the topography of the state. From Ilara, Ijale, Ijoun, Tata, Obolo, Ilaro , Imoto, Idiori, Igan, Alade, Egua, Igbogila, Ibese, Ielu Ojaodan, Erinja, ILOBI, ifoyintedo, Ilase, Ayetoro, Ajegunle , Oiado and Idiroko, to name but a few, the story is the same: difficult terrain.
The inaccessibility of most of the Border Communities the state may have informed by the Ogun I, anti-smuggling officers in most of their operations had resorted to walking on the footpaths to get to the location where the smugglers had abandoned their smuggled Contraband goods like Cannabis Sativa, arms and ammunition and, foreign parboiled to be pushed in to the Nigerian market.
The Ogun I, Area Controller had repeatedly confirmed at different forums that smugglers on sighting the Command enforcement officers had abandoned the smuggled goods and dashed into the bush to void arrest by the heavily armed officers.
There is no gain saying the fact that for the ever vigilant Ogun I, enforcement officers to have access to the difficult terrains in the state, there is need for Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, to provide more operational vehicles to the Command .It could not be ascertained why Compt. Ojo, the Ogun I, Area Controller has make its demand known to the Comptroller General.
Those who are familiar with the Comptroller General style of Administration are optimistic that if the OgunI, Area should make its request known to the Customs helmsman as other interventionist units had done in the past and were adequately equipped, to sustain the tempo of their anti-smuggling operations, he will not hesitate to do it for the Command.
Despite the challenges faced the Interventionist and revenue Collection Command, an informed source told the online Magazine, that the no nonsense Ogun I, Comptroller, who is very lively and have a way of making his officers happy as a team player may have sent a message to the smugglers that the game is up.
While the Ogun I, Area Controller, who may have the heart of the people could heave a sigh of relief as there is no more tension between officers and the host Communities. The robust relationship is better explained as informants could call him t late into the night o to pass information that are further processed by the Customs Intelligence unit ,CIU, personnel before taking action. These was said to have helped the Command in making spectacular seizures, of Cannabis Sativa ,arms and ammunition seizure at the Imeko, Afon axis, an insider had said.
Going by the tension in the country caused by hunger which appears to have reached a boiling point and the steps taken by Compt. Kola Oladeji, Area Controller, the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, to bring the situation under control, by asking his offices not to intercept one or two bags from any Nigerian who purchases it across the border for family use.
The fear in both official and unofficial quarters was that Nigerians might still abuse the privilege. This is because some traders might want to take it an advantage to go as many times as possible to continue to uy or two bags of 50K, par boiled rice , with the believe that as the Customs Operatives at the checkpoints have relaxed their strict routine inspection of cross –border vehicles , they are safe.
The Value News advice to such greedy Nigerians is to ensure they do the right and avoid coming around the border area for at a least a month to buy one or two other bags of parboiled rice for use at the home or be ready or be ready to lose the bags of foreign rice to the government, which may not be too good form them.
Note that the FOU, Joint Border Patrol, FOUs and Ogun I, officers stationed at strategic locations around the Border Communities in the south western Ogun state know most of the regular faces along the Sango Ota and Idiroko and Ilaro axis and could easily identify them including the security agencies personnel who might want smuggle in the guise of wearing their agency uniform that would make them untouchable.
Compt. Ojo, who had corroborated what Compt. Oladeji, his Counterpart, FOU, Zone A, had aid that there is a decline in smuggling activities in the south western sgeopolical region including gun state may have gone a step further to improve the revenue generation of the Command . This may have encourage him to embark on Bilateral talks with his Counterpart in Republic of Benin at their own level to facilitate the release of Nigerian bound cargoes through the Idiroko border station.
Tthe Ogun I, Area Controller, who was said to have inherited a N12 million monthly revenue collection on assumption of duties last April was said to have pushed it up to a little above N60 million as at June 2024.
H e could the feat because he has been able to win the heart of the stakeholders, particular, the importers with their agents who were not used to paying duties on their imported cargoes because of the two years of border closure between Nigeria and Benin Republic, Niger and the Central African country of Cameroun, by former President Muhammadu Buhari as they have agreed to do the right thing: pay their duties before taking delivery of their goods this time around.
Given that the Beninois Customs Authorities are ready to release Nigeria- bound goods, without further delay should encourage the Ogun I, Customs Comptroller to seek the support of the Headquarters to develop an examination bay that should be well fenced with full security that should be provided as obtained in other interventionist Commands to prepare the ground to receive the large of truck loaded that might be receive at the border station for physical examination and release to the importer this his agent . this may have informed why the Command Valuation and revenue officers had anticipated that its monthly revenue might hit the N500 million mark soon. Vintage Ojo.
