By Elizabeth Chukwuma
Until last January, nobody knew that kakudi, an Assistant Comptroller, who was made to take over as Coordinator, Comptroller General Strike Force, Lagos Zone, could effectively take control and supervision of the Team with the deployment of Usman Yahaya, the former Coordinator, to federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, as the acting Comptroller.
People have every reason to worry that the Team may run out of steam as Yahaya, the former Coordinator, was said to have left with Jack Okpabi, a Chief Superintendent of Customs, CSC, overseeing the the Strike Force Operations to the new Command and several other Patrol Team Leaders. But the biggest problem that Kakudi may have had under Yahaya, the former Coordinator was that he was technically sidelined from the Strike Force operation as Yahaya and Okpabi, were made to handle everything leaving him with little or nothing to do.
Mohammed Abdullahi, a CSC, who could have handled the Strike Force Operations ,was said to have found his way back to FOU , Zone A, where he was made the ‘’2 IC’’ to Riks Lura, CSC, and Head of the Command Roving Team. Given the large array of the the FOU, Zone A and Border Drill, comprising of Customs, as the lead agency, Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, Army, Police and Department of State Service, DSS, comprising of Customs, as the lead agency, at the south west geo-political region, Kakudi and his men were only supposed to be seen and not heard.
But the new CGC , Strike Force Coordinator was said to have made a bold Statement that he was ready to crackdown on the Contraband smugglers, particular, foreign parboiled, Vegetable Oil and vehicle smugglers through the land border.
Guided by the government policy that Foreign parboiled rice, and vehicles should not be allowed to enter into the Nigerian market, Kakudi, who was set up a new Operation Team, Headed by one Babalaye, a Superintendent of Customs, knew that he has the FOU and the Borer Drills personnel to compete with to make seizures.
With the support of the Coordinator who was said to have given him all the necessary working tools Babalaye and his boys were said to have swooped on the smugglers at the Idiroko axis where they made scores of the Asian country of Thailand parboiled rice and vegetable oil. The Contrabands were said to have been loaded into the Strike Force Team patrol Team operational vehicles and transferred to the government warhouse at Ikeja, amidst tight security.
A senior Customs officer who spoke to The Value News said the CGC Strike Force, FOU, Zone A and Border Drill personnel may be making Contraband seizures in the south west because the
transit goods importers in Benin Republic and the smugglers used to cross the goods through the unapproved routes or Creeks in the region are frustrated as Customs anti-smuggling officers are everywhere in the region.
Investigation by The Value News shows that that virtually all the warehouses at Cotonou, Capital of Benin Republic and its environs are filled up with uncleared rice and vegetable Oil which are scheduled to enter the Nigerian market. the situation is made worse as the two seaports in Benin, Benin Terminal, Cotonou and Bollore ports have several shiploads of rice on the High sea , awaiting to be given signal to sail to the port to berth and discharge.
The Beninese customs Administration officials may not have control of the transit cargoes discharged in their ports as they are after collecting the relevant duties and surcharges for the government. How the cargoes leave the Cotonou Terminal or Bollore port to Nigeria or Niger, a land locked is the importer’ arrangement. This may have informed why all the Customs anti-smuggling Teams across the country: FOUS, CGC strike Force and the Border Drill personnel are making spectacular seizure of foreign parboiled rice and vegetable oil at various unexpected location.
The Contraband smugglers who have escaped the eagle eyes of the CGC Strike Force, Border Drill or FOU, Zone A personnel ,were said to have fallen into the waiting hands of Comptroller Kayode Olusemire’s Patrol Teams personnel along Ondo-Benin road or Lagos –Benin road. It is not surprising why the Government warehouse in Benin City is filled with seized goods awaiting for orders from Hameed Ali, a retired Army Colonel and Comptroller General, Nigerian Customs Service , to take Contraband cargoes, particular the foreign rice and vegetable oil seizures to Internally Displaced People’s camps in the north east or Edo state. The Comptroller may also be waiting for orders from Ali, the Comptroller General to destroy the second hand clothing seizures occupying space in the Warehouses under the control of the Command ,
If the Contraband seizures at FOU, Zone C, Owerri, Imo state, in the recent time is not worrisome, that of the Ilorin, Kwara state based Border Drill and his patrol Team leaders appear worrisome. Transit foreign par boiled rice and Vegetable oil importers who have attempted to use the Border Communities in kwara, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq home state, Niger, home state of former military President Ibrahim Babangida , a retired Army General and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former Head of state, would never forget their experience in a hurry as they have lost such goods to the Muhammed’s men combing the bush or on the road..
It is not surprising why the smugglers who have escaped from the Oyo and Osun axis of the south west to operate in the Illesha Baruba, Yashkira, Chikanda, described as having a very difficult terrain and Okuta Border Communities in Baruten local government of Kwara state are no longer finding it funny because of the tight security mounted in the Area described as legendary residents as Contraband seizures are made daily by the sector 3, Border Drill personnel daily.
The Contraband seizures being made by the various Border Drill sectors across the country may have informed why the Katsina state born Nigerian President has described the ‘’Border Drill as a huge success’’, thus giving an insight that it has come to stay in order to give a bite to Customs anti-smuggling drive.
