By Stephen Ubanna
Not many are surprised that Bashir Adewale Adenyi, MFR, Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs services, NCS, who had initiated the tripod policy thrusts of Consolidation, Innovation and Collaboration could take the campaign on’’ the need for collaboration with other security agencies’’ to the Nigerian Defense College, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
Until the Customs Comptroller General took the bold initiative to do so after being invited by the NDC, Authorities to give a talk, Charles Orbih, an Assistant Comptroller General, ACG, and National Coordinator, Lagos Zonal officeof the NCS, had stressed the importance of the CGC’s tripod policy thrusts during the decoration of the newly promoted Comptrollers and Deputy Comptrollers at the Customs Headquarters at the FCT.
He was said to have told the new Customs Comptrollers to take the implementation of the three transformative pillars of the service: consolidation of automation processes, enhanced digital infrastructure and collaboration with stakeholders and other security agencies seriously to improve the country’s trade facilitation drive and revenue collections, National.
Barely one week after the Customs Comptroller General and the Lagos, Zonal Coordinator spoke to the newly promoted Comptrollers, who had been decorated with their new ranks, the Customs helmsman, described as a workaholic, travelling to the various Customs formations across the country for one official engagement or another have had an opportunity to give a lecture at the NDC, Abuja, on the invitation of the school Authorities.
Barely one week after speaking to the new Comptrollers and DCs, at the Customs Headquarters, on the service pivotal policy thrusts which had already gained ground as it has become a subject of discussions wherever two or three officers and stakeholders gather for discussions, the Customs Comptroller General appears to have taken the same message to the NDC.
The Customs boss who was said to have been encouraged by the large number of the Course 33 officers who had turn out at the NDC, Lecture Hall to listen to him, was said to have called for increased collaboration among the security agencies ‘’to effectively address smuggling activities across the country to contain its detrimental impact on the economy’’.
The CGC, who was said to have been accompanied to the NDC, premises to give the Lecture on to the Course 33 officers, by Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, an Assistant Comptroller and the service spokesperson, and other senior officers, was said to have stressed ‘’ the importance of synergy and mutual understanding among the security agencies in tackling illicit trade and ensuring the country’s economic security amidst applause.
He was said to have sounded it loud and clear that collaborating with other security agencies is essential for effective anti-smuggling operations across the country. He may have alluded to the ongoing anti-smuggling operations in the south western states of Ogun, Lagos, Oyo, which shares boundary with the West African country of Benin Republic and the north western states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, including the north eastern states of Asamawa, Taraba, Borno, Yobe including the north central states of Niger and Kwara, which shares boundary with the neighbouring Republic of Niger.
The smuggling situation which is also well pronounced in in the south -south states of Cross river and Akwa Ibom, which shares boundary with the central African country of Cameroun may have made the CGC’s talks imperative.
The increased smuggling activities in the border states with these two West African countries and Cameroun, appears to have rubbed off on other states of the Federation which does not share boundaries with these countries. This is because of the several illegal routes both land and sea including the creeks and rivers that had been developed by the smugglers to carry out their nefarious trade.
It is not surprising why there are smuggling activities in the south western states of Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and the north central states of Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau including the north western states of Kaduna, Jigawa, Kano as well as the south states of Delta, Edo, Bayelsa and Rivers state, as well as the south eastern states Abia, Anambra, Eboyi, Enugu and Imo are on the rise on a daily basis.
This may have informed why the CGC, had made the NDC, Course 33 officers to understand that ‘’no single agency can effectively combat the complexities of smuggling without the support and cooperation of other security agencies’’. He is right.
The recent interception and seizure of two vehicles conveying a total of 139 bags of the Asian countries of Thailand parboiled rice and the India Agricultural par boiled rice of 50Kg each along the Shao-Jebba Expressway in Moro Local Government of Kwara state on January 13, 2025, by Troops of the 22 Armoured Brigade of the Nigerian Army bears eloquent testimony on the need for inter- agency collaboration.
The news making the rounds was that but not for the intervention of the Troops, the smugglers would have succeeded in taking the illicit foreign rice Consignment smuggled from the neighbouring Niger, which was shipped into the country through the port of Benin, Cotonou, Republic of, Benin into the Nigerian markets.
This is because the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, under the close watch of Compt. Bello Ahmadu Shuaibu’s, Patrol Team overseeing the area and the Kwara Command, Patrol Team, were nowhere around the scene as the time the smugglers arrived with their vehicles loaded with rice.
The vehicles, a Mazda sedan with registration number NR 455 Al, and a Primacy Wagon with registration number RA 264 AA, which was loaded with bags of foreign par boiled rice were said to have been stopped by the vigilant Troops manning a checkpoint at the busy Shao-Jebba Road to forestall the smuggled rice from getting to their destination.
Even without the Customs Comptroller General giving a Lecture at the NDC, on the need for inter-agency collaboration, Major Gen. Oluwafemi Williams, Commander, of 32 Brigade, who was said to have handed over the two intercepted vehicles loaded with smuggled bags of foreign rice of 50Kg each to Compt. Faith Mathew Ojeifo, Area Controller, Kwara Command, at the Brigade’s Headquarters in Sobi Cantonment , Illorin, he had solicited for increased collaboration among the agencies in the north central state to checkmate the activities of the smugglers .
The Army Maj. General, had said that the Troops operations in the north central state aligns with the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede ‘s philosophy: to Consolidate the transformation of the Nigerian Army towards bequeathing a well-motivated and combat -ready force that can effectively discharge its constitutional responsibilities within a joint and multi-agency environment.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the CGC, who had used the platform provided by the NDC, Authorities,’’ to discuss strategies for addressing smuggling and its economic implications across the country may have made the participants from various sectors of the economy to understand that ‘’ the Nigeria’s premier Institution for the military and strategic security agencies including paramilitary Organizations and the civil service will bring together security agencies personnel to work as a joint Force to combat the activities of smugglers and other criminal elements across the country.
Participants at the CGC, Lecture at the NDC, according to Customs spokesperson included military, paramilitary, civil servants including private sector operators, who were said to have been invited.
Delivering the Lecture, at the NDC, Hall, on Thursday, January 24, 2025, the CGC, may have seen it as an opportunity to give an insight on ‘’the need for a collective approach to safeguard the nation’s economic interests ‘’ which was said to have further underscored ‘’the importance of inter-agency cooperation in addressing the country’s security challenges in the 36 states of the Federation and FCT, that was said to have been worsened by terrorists and bandits Group Organizations including Kidnappers.
Take for instance in the north eastern state of Borno and Yobe, the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram, the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, operating from the Lake Cad Basin, have held the people under siege for the past 15 years while the Bandits Group, operating in the north western states ofSokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsina , and the north central states of Niger, Taraba states who were said to have repeatedly attacked the people of Benue and Plateaus states in the guise of fighting farmers.
The situation in tthe north eastern states of Adamawa, Borno, Taraba, Yobe, Bauchi and the north western states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, and Katsina, according to maritime analysts are not be different in the south eastern geopolitical region, particular, Imo state and Anambra states, where the Indigenous People of Biafara, IPOB, founded by Nnamdi Kanu, currently under Department of State Service, DSS, are wreaking havoc.
Many believe that smuggling activities in the 36 states of the Federation, particular, Borno, Yobe, Sokoto,, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsina and the north central state of Niger, appears worrisome because of the activities of BokoHaram, ISWAP, Insurgents and the bandits Group, under the Leadership of Bello Turji, which are deeply involved in killing , kidnapping and cattle rustling.
Security analysts had said that the emergence of the Lakurawa Group, another terrorist Organization in the north western state of Kebbi may have given the military Special Joint Forces, Operation Fansan Yamma and Operation Daji, established by General Christopher, Chief of Defense Staff, CDS, to checkmate the activities terrorists in the entire north western region.
With the talks that had been given a the NDC, on the need for inter-agency cooperation, may see the Troops involved in Counter-terrorism operations come out into full force to complement the NCS, Interventionist Units across the country to checkmate the activities of the smugglers across the country. Vintage Adeniyi.
