By Stephen Ubanna
Given insider account of the Oyo/Osun Command anti-smuggling Operations from June 14, 2024, to August 29, 2024, Compt. Nkem Ben Oramalugo, Area Controller, who has been on the news over the last couple of weeks over the spectacular contraband seizures that had been made from its anti- tURsmuggling operations, may think he has won the heart of Nigerians?
The Customs Comptroller had said that the Command through its intensified efforts in Combating smuggling activities within its areas of jurisdictions in Oyo and Osun states, between June 14, 2024 – August 29, 2024, had successfully intercepted and seized various Contraband goods ranging from Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol, Cannabis Sativa, or Indian Hemp, foreign par boiled rice, pneumatic tyres, Used clothing, and used vehicles.
The breakdown of the Contraband smuggled items that was said to said to have been intercepted and seized by the Command , within the period under review shows that 753 kegs of petrol of 25 Kg each and 94 drums loaded with 40,915 litres of petrol and 11 other Sachets of 2,020 Kg, 2,183, bags of foreign par boiled rice of 50 Kg each, 2,448 Wraps of Cannabis Sativa , 2,667 pieces of pneumatic tyres, and 24 Bales of Used Clothing, one used Mazda car and one use pick-up vehicle.
This is in addition to the interception and seizure of two DAF trucks. One of the intercepted and seized DAF, heavy duty vehicles that may have brought Compt. Oramalugo into the exclusive class of Comptrollers Ahmadou Shuaibu, Area Controller , Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone b, Kaduna and Hussein Kehinde Eibuno, now Coordinator, Operation Whirlwind, ostensibly set by the Customs Authorities to checkmate smuggling of petrol across the nation’s border Areas with the neighbouring Republic of Benin, Niger, Chad and the Central African country of Cameroun and Compt. Ahmadou Shuaibu, of FOU, Zone B, Kaduna.
The second DAF truck that was said to have fallen into the waiting hands of the Oyo/Osun Command, patrol team officers along the Ilero border axis with the neighbouring Republic of Benin was said to have been used to conceal 2, 2280 Wraps of Cannabis Sativa from the West African country of Ghana, and smuggled into the Nigerian market through the Niger Republic. Valuation experts had put the total value of the seized Contraband good goods including wraps of Indian Hemp, at N13,150,400.00.
The Oyo/ Osun Command, Customs boss had said that the Command could achieve all that much in ‘’tackling the ever-evolving tactics of the smugglers ‘’by adopting various technological innovations and Collaboration with the military and other security agencies personnel
The Oyo/Oun Command, Area Controller, had stated clearly that the seizures of these Contraband items by the Command ‘’presents a significant blow to the smugglers operating between the two south western states of Oyo/Osun and Benin Republic, and for them to embrace Legitimate trade .
An elated Compt. Oramalugo had said that ‘’the milestone recorded by the Command between June 14, 1024 and August 29, 2024 ,in its anti-smuggling Operations had attributed it ‘’to its strategic intelligence gathering , increased patrols of the border Communities and the dedication of the officers’’ who were said to have demonstrated, according to him ‘’to exceptional vigilance Commitment to duty’’.
He was said to have further stated that ‘’the proactive measures that had been taken by the Command various anti-smuggling teams have not only prevented illegitimate trade across the borders in Oyo state with Benin Republic but also protected the people from the dangers of illicit goods.
This may have informed why he could beat his chest that the Command is committed ‘’to upholding the best standards of professionalism, integrity and service in all its operations’’. He was said to have made it clear to those that cares to listen that ‘’the Command would continue to leverage on its technology and proactive practices’’ in line with the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Management Act, 2023, passed by the 9th National Assembly and signed into Law by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
With the spectacular seizures that had been made by the Oyo/Osun Command, in the two notorious border routes in the south western state, The Value News online Magazine made several attempts to reach out to the Interventionists Command Area Controller over reported cases of increased smuggling activities in the rural border Communities of the state but no luck.
The Value News had it on good accounts of increased smuggling activities in Oke Ora Community, Igangan Area, of in Iparapa Local Government Area, and other rural border Communities in the state, where smuggled foreign rice and petrol are being smuggled freely on a daily basis.
Many believes that the high level of smuggling activities that are ongoing in the rural border Communities between Nigeria and Benin Republic withn the Oyo state axis , is not different from what is happeneing around the Birn-N’Konni –Illela, Gaya-Kamba, Dan-Issa-Katsina , Jibiya-Maiwada, and Magaria-Mutum, Kangiwa, Nageda, Kwwalaye border routes in the north western geopolitical region.
The situation is not also not different from the rampage of the smugglers in Patigi and Bukuro Communities in Baruteen Local Government Area of Kwara state and other border Communities in Niger and Kogi states with the Republic of Niger.
Informed sources told The Value News online Magazine that smuggling activities at the Oyo state border Communities and these other border Communities across the country appears to have become worse since the Authority of Heads of States and Governments of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, under the Chairmanship of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, withdrew the sanctions against Niger, over the military Coup in that country region in July 2023, thus, paving the return of military rule in that country , described as a bad advertisement to the African Continent.
.Indeed, the reopening of the nation’s land border Areas between Nigerian and Niger Republic, by the Nigerian President may have encouraged the smugglers living in the border Communities in the north western states of Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara,, Sokoto, Kebbi, and the north central states of Kwara, Niger and Kogi, and south-south of Cross river state, who were said to have been cut off from the illegal trade to bounce back in carrying out their nefarious smuggling activities like the ones in Ogun, Oyo and Osun states.
Ofotwithstanding, the efforts currently being put in place by the Oyo/ Osun Command officers to contain the activities of the smugglers in their areas of jurisdictions, it was said to have stepped up its revenue drive. The blockage of areas of revenue Leakage in the two states that had been used over the years by importers with their clearing agents and Companies to defraud the government of vital needed revenue was said to have impacted positively on the monthly revenue collections of the Command in the last eight months.
The Command was said to have collected the sum of N30,664,247,939.15, paid into the Federation Account. Financial analysts are of the view that if the Command could collect and pay into the Federal Government coffers the sum ofN4,76,6,21.37, between August 1St, 2024 -to August 23, 2024, it is a signal that it will do much better in the remaining months of the year, 202, because of the likely increased importation by traders and just as the Manufacturers are also likely to take advantage of the upcoming festival period to step up their production, which means more excise Factory revenue collection by the NCS, for the government. Vintage Oramalugo.
