By Stephen Ubanna
Barely one year in office, Compt. Nkem Ben Oramalugo, Area Controller of Oyo/Osun Command, appears to have demonstrated what he did in Kebbi state, which has two major borders, Dole –Fransi and Dole Kaina including other rural border settlements with the neighbouring Niger and Republic of Benin.
A retired senor Customs officer who spoke to The Value Newss on condition of anonymity had said that the north western state shares land border with Niger Republic and sea border with the Republic ofBenin, both French speaking countries
. The retired senior officer, had said that Compt. Oramalugo, was able to effectively control the notorious Kaina Land border Communinuty , located in the Dandi Local Government Area of the north western state, adjoining Lolo, llo in Dosso state of Niger and Benin Republics, thus making it difficult for smugglers to cross the border with their Asian country of Thailand par boiled rice, Indian Agricultural par boiled rice, fairly used and Caucus Satiza, popular, Indian Hemp, produced in the West African country of Ghana and other dangerous drugs into the country.
Many believe that Compt. Oramalugo , may have done his proper homework , to have effectively put the necessary machinery in motion that have encouraged his patrol team officers to have total control of Dole-Kaina , which is about 20 KM from Kamba border and about 220KM, from Birnin –Kebbi, Capital of Kebbi state. Birnin Kebb, a source had confirmed is an Island Community where paddy rice from the Niger Republic villages are smuggled into the country by the agents of the Rice Mills Companies in Nigeria for re-bagged par boiled rice production.
Given the success that was said to have been achieved in the Kebbi state notorious border Communities by Compt. Oramalogu, who was deployed to Oyo/Osun Command, in September 19, 2023, by Barshir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the incumbent Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, which he had seen as a familiar terrain, may have emboldened him to move into action immediately.
Aware of the duties of the NCS, based on the provisions of the Customs and Excise Management Act, now baptized Customs Management Act, 2023, with the review that had been signed into Law by former President Buhari, in April 2023, which includes Trade Facilitation, suppression of smuggling and revenue generation, the Customs Comptroller was said to have promised to improve the service delivery in his new Area Command.
True to his words, he was said to have kept to the promise that many of the Fraudulent importers with their agents including the smugglers, operating within his areas of jurisdictions were said to have gone underground while those who could not stand the Command revenue drive and new anti-smuggling tactics that had been introduced by the Customs Comptroller have relocated to other border states across the country to practice their trade.
Until Compt. Oramalugo, re-deployment to the Oyo/Osun Command, the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, under Compt. Hussain Kehinde Ejibuno, now Coordinator of the Customs, ad-hoc team, Operation Whirwind, mandated to checkmate, smuggling of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol, across the nation’s Lander Communities with Republics of Benin, Niger and the Central African country of Cameroun, was said to have had a field day making Contraband seizures.
There were indications of seizures of trucks loads of par boiled rice by former Area Controllers of the Command along the Saki rote and Ogbomoso, axis of Oyo state .Given that the Okerete border town-to Saki Community roads are not passable for cars apart from the ones which are modelled with their shock absorbers replaced with big springs and their tyres replaced with those originally designed the SUVs. This may have informed why smugglers using motorcycles to carry out their nefarious activities were said to have found it very convenient to use the route.
Indeed, smuggling activities around the Saki West Local Government was aid to have been on the high side because it shares boundary with Okereteborder Community which also share boundaries with Fesomu in Benin Republic.
The situation in Saki-Okerete border Community may not have been different from what obtains across the border border Communities of Bukuro, Budo, Aiki, Kiyori, Gah Jimoh and other rural border Communities located in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara , which shares boundary with the south western state of Oyo.
Compt. Oramalugo, an insider confirmed, had made the border Communities markets which used to be a beehive of Commercial activities over the years, within his areas of Jurisdictions a shadow of itself. This is because the markets have become scanty, particular, the Okerete border Community market. A source had confirmed that the security situation at the Saki-Okerete route and other border communities in Oyo and Osun states with Baruteen Local Area of Kwara state and which Shares boundary with Niger Republic have been tightened that smuggles no longer find it funny.
Commercial motorcyclists, who could cross the border-communities with their bags of parboiled rice, 50Kg, each with little or no interruptions from security operatives, including Customs personnel on the roads are now stopped a will for routine checks.
An eye witness account confirmed that the Commercial motorcyclists smugglers now beg for their smuggled par boiled rice poured into sacks to cross Okerete border to Saki town and other border Communities to sell to the desperate traders.
The Anambra state born, Area Controller of the Oyo/Osun, Command, who have had opportunity of interacting with officers from other Customs Administrations in both the developed and developing economies during Conferences or senior officers’ course overseas, could beat his chest that he has succeeded in ‘’minimizing smuggling activities in Oyo and Osun states’’.
He has told the Value News in a Telephone Interview, that if it was possible to completely eliminate smuggling activities in the country’s land border Areas, he would have done it in Oyo and Osun border Communities, with the support from the Customs Comptroller General.
He is right. Even in the developed economies of the North American country of the United States, US, and the Asian countries of China, India and South Korea, with their advanced technologies, smugglers still have their way.
Take for instance in the US, drug smugglers are still beating the Customs personnel to it, despite the wall separating the country and Mexico. The message is very clear that smuggling activities can never be eliminated in any country but can only be minimized.
