By Stephen Ubanna
Between 2012 and now, Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, under the close watch of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, Interventionist Units in the north western and north central geo-political regions, appears not to have been working optimally to contain the activities of the smugglers due to the activities of the bandists Group fighters.
The involvement of the Kachallah Buzu, Kachalla Sani Black, Kachalla Makore, Kachalla Damuna, Kachalla Tukur Sharmeand Sani Burki, and so many other notorious Bandits Group Leaders, including Bello Turji, and their armed followers who have terrorizing Zamfara, described as the home state of the bandits group, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsina, and the north central state of Niger, and their armed followers was said to have made things more difficult for the Customs Patrol teams in the Formations in these two regions.
Past and present Area Controllers of the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, Katsina Command ,including Command, Kebbi, Kwara, Command, particular, were said to have tightened surveillance and security at all the land borders within their areas of Jurisdictions as part of measures to clamp down on the unrepentant smugglers of contraband goods and hoarders of staple food items in the zones but that was how far they could go.
Until his redeployment to the Customs Headquarters, Compt. Dalha Shedi Wada, immediate past Area Controller of FOU, Zone B, had raised alarm of how smugglers, are using the dangerous routes that are under the various bandit Leaders and their armed followers control, , Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Katsina , Kwara and Niger states , particular, to smuggle contraband goods into the country.
There are indications that the FOU, Zone B, and other Customs interventionists Units, in the north west and the north central geopolitical regions, had lost billions of naira in government revenue over the years because of the activities of the bandits turned smugglers who were said to be working closely with their civilian collaborators who act as informants to facilitate their smuggling of contraband goods, small and light weapons into the country.
With the intensified Operations Whirwind in Kaduna and Operations Hadarin Daji, and Vigilante Groups in the north western states of Kaduna, zmfara and Katsina, particular, and the north central state Niger which was said to have resulted in the death of some notorious bandits group leaders like KachallaBuzu Kachalla Sani Black, Makore ,Danuma, Burki , Sharme, and some other deadly bandits gang Leaders, may have given the Customs Authorities hope that Banditry will soon be a thing of the past in the north west and north central regions , for the patrol team officers to their job.
Sambo Galadima, an Assistant Comptroller General, ACG, of Customs , who had made a name for himself at the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, NAHCO, and Skyway Aviation Handling Company, SAHCO, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport , MMIA, where he was said to have forced many fraudulent importers with their agents to relocate to the Lagos seaports of Apapa, Tincan Island, Port Multi-services Terminal Limited, PTML, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Limted, KLT, phases I and II, to carry out their nefarious activities, as NAHCO and SAHCO, was too hot for them to carry out any dirty clearing job. :
The Customs ACG, who may have been encouraged to embark on the visit in line with ‘’the incumbent Comptroller General of Customs, policy Trusts of collaboration, innovation and the relationship between the stakeholders and the NCS, as a way ‘’to sensitize the officers’’ He was said to have enjoined the officers, particular, the Patrol team Leaders and their members ‘’to be on the security alert and be professional in their conduct’’ .
The Customs Zonal Coordinator who was said to have repeatedly told the Katsina Command officers while addressing them ‘’to be vigilant’’ may have gladdened their heart when he said ‘’the service is in dire need of them now more than ever before to man the country’s Land borders properly ’’ to prevent the influx of contraband goods as well as infiltration of small arms and light weapons into the country that usually end up in the waiting hands of the bandits and other criminal elements , including the kidnappers, operating in the state
He was said to have sounded it loud and clear to the officers that under the stewardship of Adeniyi, the Comptroller General of Customs, who has adopted proactive measures to adequately tackle the arms smugglers in the border communities, he was said to have encouraged the Command Patrol teams to do their job without compromise.
The ACG , who may have been acompanied on the Katsina ommanD visit may have been accompanied by Compt. Ahmadou Shuaibu, Area Controller, federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, was said to have, appealed to the Katsina Command Patrol Team Leaders and their members to ensure they give detailed information to heir superiors about their movements to ascertain their whereabouts, he noted that this has become very necessary as the country is getting bad, particular, the environment of Katsina sate, which is tense because of the activities of the criminal elements. He averred that that the Customs Comptroller General who is committed to providing strategic Leadership to ensure effective and efficient service delivery for optimum performance has never relented doing so.
Describing Katsina as a volatile border state, with the neighbouring Republic of Niger, which former President Muhammadu Buhari, had said shares over 1,500 Km , border routes with the French speaking country and that Customs personnel would not be able able to fully patrol it but only the Almighty God , an appreciative Dangaladima, who had said that’’ it is a big task to be in Katsina state, was said to have advised the officers to double their efforts to ensure that ‘’the NCS, achieves greater heights in its suppression of smuggling, revenue generation drive and trade facilitation, which many believe are the core mandate of the service.
The Kaduna, Zone B, Nationa Coordinattor, may have given the officers a cause to be cheery when he commended them for their ’’hard work and determination to sustain the anti-smuggling wars in the state despite the activities of the bandits.
Compt. Abba-Aji, the Command Area Conroller, may have hocked the ACG and his team, when he disclosed that the state has 12 official border routes that were active before the border closure by former President Buhari, in 2019, but at present only the Jibia border route has been opened for Legitimate business activities.
The Customs Comptroller may have opened up to the hearing of the Customs ACG, who in turn is expected to pass the message to the Comptroller General who is expected to take advantage of the prresident’s directive opening the Land borders in the north west geopolitical region with Niger last July to do so . Already the Comptroller General has reopened the Kamba border in Kebbi state, for legitimate business. Compt.Ai is optimistic that the border locations in Katsina state that are still closed by the Nigerian government may soon be reopened for legitimate business as well.
