By Stephen Ubanna
For years, the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and the Leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, now baptized Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, have been holding talks on how to contain the activities of the VIP, premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol , smugglers across the border.
The two parties had always accused each other of not doing a proper which may have informed about the persistent smuggling of petrol across the border from Nigeria to Benin Republic, Niger and the C entral Republic of Cameroun. Bashir Adewale Adeni, MFR, Comptroller General, NCS, may have been privy to all the discussions and steps taken to address the challenges which never yielded much result that he has taken the bold initiative to address it squally.
Hammed Ali, a retired Army Colonel and Comptroller General, NCS, who had secured the approval of the then President Muhammadu Buhari to close down all the Petrol filling stations, 26 Km, to the border to stop the racket never did the trick. From Ogun, Oyo and virtually all the north eastern states of Adamawa, Taraba, particular to the south -south state of Cross river state, the story was the same: smuggling of Petrol across the nation’s porous border.
Adeniyi, the incumbent Customs Comptroller General may have consulted widely on how to stop the mess and with the support of President Bola Ahmed, had set up the Operation Whirlwind under the close watch of Compt. Hussain Kehinde Ejibuno to effectively Confront the menace.
Compt. Ejibuno, may have been the right officer to head the newly created ad-hoc because of his impressive performance at the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, where he gave the foreign par boiled rice, foreign processed vegetable and Cannabis Sativa, popular Indian Hemp, fairly used vehicle, Pneumatic tyres andsecond hand clothing smugglers a battle for their life.
He was said to have made things so difficult for the smugglers operating around the 94 illegal border routes between Nigeria and Benin Republic in Ogun state, Saki and Iseyi axis of Oyo state that many of the smugglers were forced to go underground while others relocated to Benin permanently pending when he will be redeployed to return back to do what they know best in the region: smuggling:
They got it wrong. This is because the Customs Comptroller was said to have been given a higher responsibility which covers the entire country’s anti-smuggling operations that has to do with Petrol in his hand. The Customs Comptroller may have adopted the same strategy used in dealing with the smugglers operating between the entire south western states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo, to face the petrol states in the border states of Ogun, Adamawa, Taraba, and Ogun to deal with the smugglers nationwide.
Given the support from the Comptroller General and Olaniyi Alajogun, a Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, DCG, overseeing the service, Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, E,I&I, who many believes shares intelligence with Benneth Chinedum Igweh, an Inspector General of Police , overseeing, Nigerian Police Force, NPF, Zone 7, FCT, comprising of FCT, Niger and Nasarawa and who had seen it all, was said to have extended such intelligence gathering to his officers to help them do their job.
It is not surprising why there is no there is no trick petrol smugglers could bring to beat the Operation Whirlwind personnel to it without being crushed. Another advantage going for DCG, Alajogun which had m have made him to be an asset to the Interventionist Units and ad-hoc teams is the mere fact that he had worked with Ade Fadahunsi, now a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, described as one of the best the best anti-smuggling officers the service has ever produce before his retirement and venturing into the murky waters of Nigerian politics.
A senior Customs officer who spoke to the Value online Magazine last Tuesday disclosed that Compt. Ejibuno , may have succeed in making the VIP smugglers illegal petrol businesses between Nigeria and the neighbouring countries of Benin, Niger and Cameroun difficult in the recent time because he has tapped on the experiences of DCG. Alajogun, E,I&I, and DCG, Bello Mohammed Jibo, overseeing Customs Finance, Administration and Technical services, FATS, and who gave VIP , petrol smugglers a tough time that many of them were forced to relocate to Beni Republic and Ogun state to have a breather .
Indeed, the Customs Comptroller Coordinationg the Operation Whirlwind may have concentrated his efforts in the north eastern states of Adamawa, Taraba and Ogun where he knows much of the illegal routes used by the smugglers and acting on intelligence to make spectacular petrol seizures.
The most recent of such petrol seizures was in Adamawa, home state of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, during the Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration and Presidential Candidate of the Opposition People Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023, general election and who is still pushing to contest the 2027, general election on the platform of the party.
A tough talking Compt. Ejibuno, had revealed that the total seizure included 1,124 Jerrycans loaded with PMS, of 25,40 and 60 litres each. He may have shocked Nigerians when he disclosed that 200 litres of the petrol product were transported by two takers , amounting to 1, 965 litres , which Valuation experts had put at N81.5. He had said that most the MS, products along the Nigerian -CCameroun border.
Ehe Operation Whirlwind Coordinator in collaboration with other security agencies personnel was said to have have thransferred the 71,965 litres of petrol , equivalent of 13 tankers which Valuation experts had put at over N81 million to the Nigerian Mainstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, in Yola, Capital of Adamawa state for proper accountability.
The Operation Whirlwind officers may have made a mark as they were said to have successfully arrested one of the suspects linked to the smuggling of PMS, and other Contraband in the state and currently being prosecuted as a deterrence to other unrepentant smugglers in the state.
With the tough war waged on the petrol smugglers in Adamawa state and arrest of some of the arrowheads appears to have stabilized fuel supply in the state, thus reducing its scarcity and price volatility. Compt. Ejibuno, who could not hide his feelings may have heaved a sigh of relief when he declared that the Operation Whirlwind’s broader strategy across the country had achieved its objective as it had succeeded in effectively curbing the activities of the illegal petrol bunkers and marketers.
Appealing the Petroleum Products smugglers to turn a new leaf and embrace genuine trade, Compt. Ejibuno, noted that that it is the only they will continue their businesses without playing into the hands of the Customs anti-smuggling officers, particular, the Operation whirlwind officers who are positioned at strategic locations in the border states across the country to ensure to no jerrycan of petrol leaves the country or prohibited item as contained in the 2024, Fiscal Policy enters the country.
Compt. Garba Barshir, Area Controller, Adamawa/Taraba Command may have taken advantage of the Operation Whirlwind personnel to compliment his men’s efforts to speak out of the need for collaboration among stakeholders to contain the activities of the smugglers.
Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, a Chief Superintendent and Customs spokesperson had alluded to the remarks of the Area Controller that ‘’the fight against petrol smuggling across the border is the collective responsibility of all Nigerians and should not be left for the Customs personnel to do.
The Adamawa/Tara Command Area Controller, who had repeated called on stakeholders and indeed, Nigerians, from all walks of life to share intelligence with the service, had said that ‘’it is the only to combat smuggling and boost the nation’s economic growth and ensure rapid development.
Hunuri Timothy, Representative of NMDPRA, in Adamawa state, may have gladdened the heart of Compt. Ejibuno and his officers, when he commended their efforts ‘’to tackle fuel smuggling across Nigeria’s borders in the recent time’’. This may have emboldened Compt. Ejibono, to take the battle to petrol smugglers den to break their ranks.
The Customs Comptroller may have succeeded in dealing with the petrol smugglers decisively in Adamawa and Taraba but may not have made any appreciable impact in Borno and Yobe states, where the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, operates and are waiting in the wings for the team to come to the two insurgents states to make such seizures in order to attack and scare the officers from coming to the state to carry out such operations .
Compt. Ejibuno, may have read the handwriting on the wall that he and his officers had concentrated their efforts on damawa and Taraba, where the activities of the Bandits Group, are as violent as those of the terrorists operating in Borno and Yobe states.
The Compt. Ejibuno, ad-hoc team , may not have succeeded in penetrating the north western border states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina , to the deal with the petrol smugglers as the team are currently doing in other states because the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, overseen by Compt. . Bello Ahmadou, Shuaibu, and his officers are fully on ground in the region.
Note that the Command covers the entire north western states of Sokoto, Zamfara, described as home of the bandits group, Kebbi, Katsina Kaduna, Jigawa, Kano, and the north central states of Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Kwara including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and may not have given any loophole to the Operation Whir/wind offices to operate in the region. The situation is the same in the south western state of Oyo and Osun states where Comptroller Ben Nkem Oramalugo and his Patrol team officers are doing a job making spectacular Contraband and all the jerrycans of Petrol seizures. It is not surprising why the team had concentrated all their efforts in Ogun, Adamawa and Taraba, where it is making good seizures of Jerrycans of Petrol every now and then.
In a related development, the NCS, on Nov.16, 2024, signed a Customs Mutual Administrative Agreement, CMAA, with its Asian country of Indian Counterpart. The Customs Comptroller General who had described the Agreement as a milestone achievement, that was said to have culminated in Negotiations that was said to have started in 2016, during Col. Ali’s Administration had said that it will improve the service operations.
He was emphatic that ‘’it is going to enhance collaboration between the two Customs Administrations, streamline border clearance processes and curb customs -related offences like smuggling of Contraband into the country. He did not stop there.
He had said that the CMAA, will go a long way to bolster cross-border trade development and further improve the enforcement of the country’s 2023, Customs Management Act. Key provisions of the CMAA, according to the Customs helmsman include enforcement of Customs Laws by ensuring accurate imposition of duties, taxes verification processes through the facilitation of proper classification, valuation and determination of goods origin, prevention and investigation by strengthening mechanisms to combat smuggling offences. This good new news to the FOUs and other Customs Interventionist Units across the country including the Operation Whirlwind and Border Drills, across the country as it will reinforce the integrity and efficiency of their operations.
