By Stephen Ubanna
There appears to be no respite for smugglers operating between Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano, Kwara, Niger, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and Kogi including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and the West African countries of Republic of Benin and Niger.
This is because Compt. Dalha Wada Shedi, the Area Controller , ederal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone B, overseeing the anti-smuggling operations in the 13 northern states of the Federation and the FCT, who many believe is acting out the script of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the Customs Comptroller General , has taken the anti-smuggling war to the criminal elements hideouts that it has become very difficult for them to effectively transport their smuggled foreign parboiled rice from Oja odan axis in Ogun state into the northern states of the Federation with ease because of the tight security that had been mounted in the Area by Comp. Shuaibu Amadou Bello, Area Controller , Ogun I, tough looking officers.
The FOU, Zone B, Customs Comptroller, who was said to have also mobilized his anti-smuggling officers are not giving a breather to the unrepentant smugglers operating between Republic of Niger and the porous border routes of Katsina, Soko, Zamfara, Kebbi and Jigawa states particular, in the north western region.
Between February 1, 2024 and March 28, 2024, Compt. Wada, appears to have sent a message to the diehard smugglers, operating in the north and north center geopolitical region that they have one option to quit the illegal business or be ready to be loosing both their cargoes and money to the Federal government as his officers will not spare any smuggler caught with Contraband.
True to his words, the Customs Comptroller, who had said that that the Command operatives could make mockery of the tricks that had been adopted by the smugglers in carrying out their nefarious trade in the two northern regions because they have remained resolute committed and vigilant in the fight against smuggling which is very instructive.
A tough talking Compt. Wada, had said that the Interventionist Unit made 98 Contraband seizures of 21 different items ranging from the Asian countries of Thailand parboiled and the Indian Agricultural parboiled rice, Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol, and Used shoes, including vehicles and motorcycles, that were said to have been used as means of conveyance of he seized items by the patrol team officers in their various locations.
Given a breakdown of the Contraband intercepted by the Command in the one and half months of its operations, the FOU, Zone Customs boss disclosed that of particular was the seizure of 372 bags of foreign par boiled rice, 50Kg each. The foreign parboiled bags of rice was said to have been intercepted by the Command operatives around Border Communities state and deposited at the Kwara Area Command because of the distance of transferring to the Kaduna, the Command Headquarters. He has given an insight of the ever new methods in concealing smuggled rice in local flour sacks to disguise the smuggled rice as flour.
The Command was said to have also intercepted 698 bags of foreign rice of 50Kg each, 367 cartons of foreign Spaghetti, , Macaroni and Couscous, , 136 bales of foreign second hand clothing, 715 Jerrycan of petrol of 25 litrres each, 65 Jerrycans of foreign processed Vegetable oil, 25 litres each, 12 used vehicles four units of means of conveyance of smuggled Contraband, nine cartons of Chakapin Xtra, 50 mg, 425.5 cartons of foreign milky Creamer milk powder, and 36 pieces of fairly used tyres. Also imounded by the Command within the period under review was 0 cartons of expired general goods, 400 cartons of organic fertilizer, 120 cartons of foreign EVA Soap 600 bags of Sokoto Cement used in conealing of items O,P and Q, among other items.
Valuation experts had put the value of the Contraband intercepted by the Command at about N7770 million which was very encouraging.
An insider had told The Value News, that Command Patrol team Leaders and their officers, had combined effective intelligence network in combating and exposing the activities of the smugglers, described in Customs circles as economic saboteurs.
An elated Wada, who is impressed with the effort of his officers to contain the activities of the die-hard smugglers in the Command’s Areas of Jurisdictions had made it clear to those that cares to listen that tha ‘’there is no amount of trick , blackmail or orchestrated attacks that will dampen their enthusiasm to deal decisively with the smugglers’’ .
This may ave informed why he has sent a message to the unrepentant smugglers that the resort to sponsor mobs against officers carrying out their legitimate duties in their various Locations in the states or organize to stage illegal demonstrations against the Command will not discourage them from doing the right thing.
Appealing to the smugglers ‘’to turn a new leaf and embrace Legitimate trade’’, or be ready to contend with his officers on the road and if caught in the act will face the full weight of the Law and the dire consequences. The Customs Comptroller may have used opportunity provided for him to speak on the Command’s activities over the last one month ‘’to draw the attention of the general public concerning the act of altering VIN, Chassis number , of vehicles by smugglers to evade arrest or to manipulate the payment of duty , stressing that they are equal to the task to puncture their tactics.
Compt. Wada , would want the concerned Nigerians to always examine the VIN on the windscreen and on the chassis skeleton of the vehicle they intend buying from any dealer or play into the waiting hands of his officers on the road. According to him, ’’it is an offence under section 23, b, of the Nigerian Customs and Excise Management Act, CEMA, , 2023’’ and the offender is liable to a fine of N2 million or imprisonment for a term of two years or both’’.
Besides giving the smugglers a battle of their life, Compt.Wada, may have also shown that any officer who compromises in the course of doing his job would not be spared. The FOU, Zone B, Customs boss, was said to have set example with one Mouhammad Ahmad, an officer attached to the Mokwa-Jebba, pPatrol Team, believed to have extorted N500,000 00, from a car buyer last February .
The officer, who was arrested, was said to have been handed over the Customs Police Unit for further investigation. The officer with itching palm was said to have committed the offence along Mokwa-Jebba road in Niger, home state of Ibrahim Babangida, an Army General, rtd, and a former Nigerian military President.
The Jigawa state born Customs Comptroller may have made a bold statement with the disciplinary action meted on the officer who was said to have been handed to Customs Police as a deterrence to others who might want to compromise while doing their legitimate duties.
An informed source told The Value News that ever since Compt. Wada, exposed the officer and made him to face the necessary disciplinary action, other Patrol team officers are now watchful of their actions to avoid playing into the hands of the no nonsense FOU, Zone B, Area Controller, who is not ready defend any officer who commits any unwholesome act.
A Top officer who spoke to the online Magazine disclosed that VCompt.Wada, could do that because he is working according to the mandate given to him by Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the Customs Comptroller General to ensure that officers do right thing without bringing the Command to ridicule.
