By Suleiman Umaru
Barely three years out of office that former President Muhammadu Buhammadu Buhari his Turkish and hisrkish Counterpart, Recep Edorgan, had concluded negotiations for sales of military weapons which include assault rifles, anti-material rifles, anti-terror equipment , armoured vehicles aircrafts and unmanned aerial vehicles, Turkish defense companies appears to have abused the privilege turning Nigeria as a dumping ground for arms and ammunitions .
At present there are over 30 defense companies manufacturing naval war ships, weapons and ammunitions which includes Anadolu Shipyard, Ares shipyard, Istabul shipyard, Sedaf shipyard, Taskizak Naval shipyard,Yonca –Onuk shipyard, Sselsan, ASFAT, Baykar, BMC Otomotive, EUROTAI, NSS Defence Systems, Girsan, Hidomek Corporation, Meteksan Savunma, NKatmerciler andKoc Holdings.
This is in addition to Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation and Metesan Savunma, Nurol Makina, Otokar and Rokesan, Roketsan, STM Turkish company, Transvaro, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Turkish National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology, Tusas Engine Industries and Vestel.
Given that the Turkish Government deal with several African countries including Nigeria may have informed why it is easy to identify made in Turkey arms and ammunitions including military Uniforms produced in the European country ship to Nigeria through any of the country’s seaports or International Airports. Going by the country’s defence and security policy, Armament projects are developed and manufactured under contract from the state -owned Defence Industry Agency , SSB, which is the Holding Company that was said to have been established in 1985 .
The company was said to have been given a mandate ‘’to provide substantial financial resources and investment in the modernization of the Turkish Armed Forces. Going by weapon demands by countries and terrorist Organisanisations may have informed why the arms and weapons manufacturs in Turkey have increased their exports to make profit as much of the exports had fallen into wrong gunrunners who supplies to the criminal elements. The total value of Turkish arms and ammunitions exports to Nigeria and other parts of the world in 202, was put at the North American country of the United States, US, $1.5 billion .
In 2022, the Year, that Buhari, the Nigerian President had signed bilateral agreement with Edorgan, the Turkish Leader, for sales of military weapons to Nigeria, the country was said to have exported weapons valued at US. $4.4 billion to their over sea customers including Nigeria. The business models of companies such as Baykar, TAI, Rokesan, STM and Aselsan were said to have increased based on the sales of its manufactured arms to countries that were said to be close Turkey.
It was not surprising why the Turkish Defence Companies manufactured weapons which fall into the wrong hands and loaded into Containers from Izmir Mersin seaports, in Istanbul, Capital of Turkey, and other major seaports from the country are shipped to Apapa, Tincan Island or Onne seaports for ales in Nigeria.
Between 201 and now, the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, under the then Management Led Hameed Ali, a retired Army Colonel and the Present Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, led Management had intercepted several Containers concealed with assault rifles manufactured and shipped from Turkey.
The most recent of such Turkish manufactured military and paramilitary camouflage and other dangerous items shipped from the country’s port to Nigerian port of Onne, in Rivers state but intercepted through a combination of intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration .
One of the Containers, 4 which was a ‘4’0’ was said to have contained 4,800 pairs of military and paramilitary camouflage rain boots and 67,320 pairs of various footwear , with a Duty Paid Value, DPV, of N923,040,000.00, among others.
Another Three X ‘’40’’ Containers , that was aid to have been discharged by the shipping company from Turkish port , was said to have contained 380,000 bottles of 100ml cough syrup with Codeine, 24,480,000 tablets of Royal Tramadol Hydrochloride, 5,350,000 tablets of Tapentatol and Carisopodol and items, valued at about N17,42,506,000.00.
This in addition to five other’’ 40 ft’’ Containers that was said to have been loaded with 892,00 bottles of 100ml cough syrup with Codeine , 1,00,000 tablets of 50mg of Really Extra Diclofenac, ,250,000 tablets of 5 mg Trgol Benzhexol with a DPV OF N8,125,568,295.00. Valuation officers had put the value of 12 seized Container loaded with prohibited goods at NN31 billion, which was a blow to the fraudulent importers with their agents.
Last July, the Command had intercepted nine Containers carrying prohibited items including arms and ammunition, illicit drugs and second hand clothing valued at about N 13.9 billion. In a related development, the NCS, Authorities, appears to be working too resuscitate its Memorandum of Understanding , MOU, with Turkey Customs Administration to curtail the smuggling of small and light weapons into Nigeria from Turkey .
That much was confirmed by Abdullaahi Maiwada, a Chief Superintendent of Customs and spokesperson of the of the service at a recent National Security Adviser, NSA, Strategic Communication Interagency Policy Committee , press briefing in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory., FCT. The Customs spokesperson may have opened up following the seizure of 844 units of assaulted rifles , 12,500 pieces of live ammunition among other contraband goods including Tramadol that were said to have been intercepted at the Onne port last June .
The situation at the Onne port has become so worrisome that Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General, who has the mandate of the Nigerian President to clean up the mess in the in the service and improve its revenue generation paid into the Federation Account, had declared a ‘’state of emergency’’ at the south eastern Onne port following the repeated incidents of importation of arms and ammunitions, including military Uniforms and other prohibited dangerous cargoes through the port.
The Customs Comptroller General regret is that the fraudulent importers and their foreign collaborators in the international supply chain are taking advantage of ‘’the country’s pro-trade stance to commit atrocities bordering on national security breaches’’.
The Customs Comptroller General, who is determined to cage the gunrunners, no matter the tricks adopted to carry out their nefarious trade with their foreign Collaborators was said to have sounded it loud and clear to fraudulent importers with their agents that for the net three months it is no longer going to be business as usual as the Customs Authorities have beamed their searchlight at the major seaports in the Lagos and south eastern ports to ensure that Containers shipped undergo thorough physical examination before release to the clients’ agents’.
Describing importation and seizure of the prohibited arms and ammunitions at the Onne port as a ‘’disturbing trend to the country’s national security’’, and given the political tensions in the oil Rivers state caused by the struggle for supremacy the political gladiators ahead of the 2027, general elections, the Customs boss, had said that this must not be allowed to continue unchecked.
Determined to curb the excesses of the Fraudulent importers with their agents, The Customs helmsman, whose closes associates said stays late till 4 AM, virtually on a daily basis, even when he should be having his sleep to sign to files and respond to calls related to the job was said to put the Area Controllers at the seaports and Interventionists Units on the alert.
He was said to have joined numerous stakeholders in guide of simplifying the job towards the cause of trade facilitation through the Launching of the upgraded facilities that was said to have been provided by the West African Container Terminal, WACT, and the terminal operators of Onne port.
Aware of the policy thrust of the President which supports the re-energizing of the country’s business environment to drive faster importer clearance and grow capacity for exports, he was said to have made it clear to those that cares to listen that the initiate of the present Customs Management under his Leadership is ‘’to promote initiatives that will continue boost trade facilitation and economic development’’ in all its ramifications.
The former Customs National Public Relations Officer, who had worked under some former Customs Comptroller Generals before rising to the exalted position in June 2016, and who has been exposed to the various strategies adopted by his predecessors in dealing with the criminal elements at the seaports and Land border areas had said that that they will not rest until the fraudulent importers stop turning the Onne port for the importation of dangerous cargoes including arms for sales in the country.
