By Stephen Ubanna
For years , high profile smugglers of the Asian country of Thailand Par boiled rice, Pneumatic tyres, , fairly used vehicles and clothing, including the West African country grown Cannabis Sativa, popular, Indian Hemp and other dangerous dangerous drugs had made the border Communities around Saki and Iseyin axis in Oyo and Osun states their home.
The situation was so worrisome that past Area Controllers of the Federal Operations the Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, including the Compt. Hussain Kehinde Ejibuno, who had been deployed to the Customs Headquarters, had made mockery of the Oyo/Osun Command anti-smuggling activities.
Compt. Ejibuno, was said to have taken advantage of the porous nature of the Border Communities in Oyo state, particular, to make a mockery of past and present Area Controllers of the Oyo/Osun Command as the interventionist unit Pattrol team officers were said to have effectively occupied the adjoining outes to Okereke and Saki Communities, used by the smugglers.
Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, Comptroller General, Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, may have made a bold statement to deal decisively with the diehard smugglers operating within the jurisdictions under the Oyo/ Osun Command who had defiled the anti-smuggling strategies initiated by the Command over the years to carry out their nefarious by deploying Compt. Ben Oramalugo, from Kebbi Command , in the north western geo-political region, believed by many to be an anti-smuggling expert to clip the wings of the Oyo/ osun states based smugglers, who have been operating between Nigeria and the neighbouring Republic of Benin to smuggle Contraband into the country.
The Customs Comptroller, who was said to have given the smugglers operating between Nigeria and Republic of Niger a deadly blow for the period he was in Kebbi Command that his life became threatened , may have known that he has a big task at hand at Oyo and/Osun Command to restore sanity in the area.
Until his redeployment to the interventionist unit , the FOU, Zone A, which ought to have played a complimentary role to its operations had taken the upper hand in the service anti-smuggling operations, thus playing the second fiddle as resident officers which ought not to be.
Compt. Oramalugo, may have taken he first one month of assumption of duties in 2023, to study the terrain based on the briefs from the Command Officers in-charge of Surveillance Operations and the Patrol teams laced with the briefings from Compt. Babajide Jaiyeola, his Predecessor, who was redeployed to Apapa Customs Area Command, a basically revenue generating Command, to restrategise.
Initially, the Saki and Iseyin axis based smugglers who were said to have beaten all the anti-smuggling strategies that had been adopted by former Area Controllers of the Oy/Osun Command were happy with the removal of Compt. Jaiyeoba n grounds that it was still going to be business as usual for them.
The high profile smugglers who may have penetrated the ranks of the security agencies personnel who gives them information on the movement of the Osun/ Oyo Customs Command Patrol team officers , to plan their operations without losing their cargoes may have heaved a sigh of relief over the arrival of Aramalugo had as a replacement for Compt. Jaiyeoba to give him just arrived IN the Command to give him the first baptism of fire :increased smuggling activities , which was said to be short-lived.
The former Kebbi Command, Customs Area Controller, who had dealt decisively with the smugglers operating between Niger and Nigeria, may sent a warning signal to the south western states of Oyo/Osun economic saboteurs that the game is up.
He was said to have expressed an unwavering commitment ‘’to giving the smugglers a tougher time which had never been experienced by them in the previous years through what security analysts had described as ‘’Coordinated Border Management, intelligence risk Management and continued patrol and enforcement operations’’.
Given his promise to strengthen collaboration with other enforcement agencies, neighboring Interventionist Commands like Ogun I, Ekiti/Ondo and parties to improve its intelligence gathering and facilitate joint operations, appears to have paid off. This is because the high profile smugglers, particular, are currently feeling the pinch of the Oyo/Osun Command anti-smuggling efforts.
The monthly Contraband seizures that had been made by the Command over the last seven months speaks volume. Take for instance between the months of March and April, 2024, alone, the Customs Comptroller who had strategized the Oyo/Osun, Command , anti-smuggling operations, and his officers were said to have intercepted Contraband goods valued at about N1.8 billion, which had never been witnessed since the history of the Area Command.
The desperate Oyo/ Osun smugglers and their sponsors may have read the handwriting on the wall that the no nonsense Area Controller cannot be compromised that they were said to have reduced their smuggling operations to the barest minimum in the recent time because of the multi- million naira loses that had been recorded by them in the recent months .
A close source to the south west Oyo/Osun Command had told The Value News, that Compt. Oramalugo could achieve the feat because he was working according to the mandate of the Customs Comptroller General, who had a vision for the service ‘’to create a more proactive and strategic mechanism ‘’to generate more revenue for the service and reduce smuggling to the barest minimum’’.
Enough of the Oyo/Osun Command anti-smuggling operations. We turn to the Command revenue generations. Going by the recent reports of the Oyo/Osun, Area Controller, the Command had generated and paid into the Federation account the sum of N18.1 billion between the months of March ad April, 2024.
An elated Compt. Oramalugo, had said that the Oyo/Osun Command, under his Leadership has continued ‘’to demonstrate commendable performance in its revenue collection despite the country’s prevailing economic situation’’. He noted that the Command officers since his assumption of office last September have ‘’worked tirelessly to facilitate trade while ensuring compliance with Customs regulations’’.
The Customs Area Controller, may have gladdened the heart of the officers when he declared at a recent briefing on the Command activities over the last two months, that’’ the act of silence and dedication to duties in ensuring the efficient collection of Custom import and export duties and taxes ‘’underscores its commitment to contribute to the country’s economic stability. Vintage Oramalugo.
