By Stephen Ubanna
With barely three months of being in the north central geo-political region which has taken him and his entourage comprising of Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, Department of State Service, DSS, Army and Police personnel to the Border Communities in kwara, Niger, Kogi and Benue states Mohammed Uba Garba Garba, a former Comptroller of Seme Command and now acting Zonal Coordinator of the Ilorin based sector 3, order Drill has moved into the next phase of the sensitisation campaign against smuggling.
Aware that most of the smugglers in the north central geo-political region are traders, the Border Drill Zonal Coordinator, had mobilised his men to embark on the sensitisation of the Traders in the region on why the land borders across the country with the neighbouring countries of Benin Republic, Niger and the Central African country of Cameroon were closed last August . He was said to have flagged off the sensitisation Campaign of the traders, last week with the Kwara sate traders.
At a meeting with the traders believed to be the most affected in the Border closure in the state, he was said to have made it clear to them that it was ostensibly been executed to stop the smuggling of Contraband, particular, foreign parboiled rice , small and light weapon into the country. A no nonsense Muhammed had told traders that he would not spare any person caught with smuggled goods in any part of the state as the person would be made to face the full weight of the Law.
Eyewitness account disclosed that it was a big of gathering of the traders from the various Associations in the state: Textiles, shoes, Veil dealers and other market women who took time out to be at the meeting to listen to the Border Drill Zonal Coordinator on the dos and don’ts in their business.
Given the importance attached to the meeting, the discussion was said to be frank in both English and Youruba languages for easy understanding. That much was confirmed by Chado Zakari, an Assistant Superintendent and the sector 3, Border Drill Spokesperson.
According o him the Zonal Coordinator made the traders to understand that the Border closure was not a punitive measure to clip the wings of the people doing genuine business by the government but to encourage ‘’local farmers and growth of local industries in order to provide job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the country.
Given an insider information, he disclosed that the Zonal Coordinator also made the traders to understand that since the Border closure was announced last August, it has improved the security of the nation which was one of the major reasons that facilitated the inauguration of the Border Drill exercise.
He insists that ‘’if the country’s borders are not secured , Customs revenue generation from non oil goods for the government would be a mirage because of the activities of the smugglers who are all out to sabotage the nation’s economy through these neighbouring countries which had been turned into a dumping ground for foreign manufactured goods and agricultural products. Note that the dumped foreign goods are exported into the Nigerian market through the unapproved routes with Benin, Niger and Cameroon. Alrady, he has made it clear to the traders that they are in the region to’’ enforce the government directive and policies on the border closure that no Consignment should enter or leave the country’’.
The traders who had expected him to broke the cheering news that the restriction placed on the ‘’movement of persons through the Border Communities have been relaxed’’, were disappointed when he said that ‘’movement of persons with valid travelling document between 6 am and 6 pm is still enforce’’. ‘’Bad news to the Traders’’, a bystander remarked.
Appealing to the traders not to patronise smuggled goods, particular, foreign parboiled rice or Textile materials, which are mostly manufactured form China, he warned the textile dealers to stop buying their materials from Kano as his men would not hesitate to raid their shops at any time.
He , however, advised the traders who may still want to patronise their Kano textile material dealers to always insist of having a copy of the Single Goods Declaration, SGD, Form, used and paid for their goods from the original importers to avoid running into trouble with the Border Drill Patrol Teams comprising of Customs, as the lead agency, NIS, soldiers, Police and DSS, personnel on the road.
Indeed, over the last two months, many of the Kwara based traders had lost their textile materials, shoes and Veils including other items, regarded as Contraband which they had bought from the Kano market to the Border Drill personnel at the Illesha Baruba, Yashira, Okuta and Chikanda Border Communities and its environs in Baruten local government Area of the state. Chikanda may have a very difficult terrain which makes it a major route for smugglers but the sector 3 Border Drill Patrol Teams appeared to have devised a way of penetrating the area with little difficulty.
The sector 3 Border Drill, Zonal Coordinator, may have put fear on the face of the traders who had never been exposed to the type of aggressive anti-smuggling war in the region when he declared that he would not hesitate to invoke section 147 of the Customs and Excise Management Act, CEMA, cap 1984, which gives power to Customs officers to ‘’search and raid business premises and private residences suspected to be warehousing smuggled goods. It was a big blow to some of the big time traders who had stocked their shops with Contraband goods as they feared that they may lose it to the sector 3, Border Drill any moment.
Recall, that the sector 3 , Border Drill Zonal Coordinator, had earlier, met with the members of Petrol Markers Association of Nigeria,PMAN, in Baruten local government Area of the state with a population of 125.000, and over 200 petroleum Product outlets, to sensitise them about. the dangers of flouting the government order on the sales of Petroleum Products 20Km, to the land Border.
The sector 3, Border Drill , Zonal Coordinator,, a source said may have been very rigid in enforcing the law, because of the revelation made by President Muhammadu Buhari, that 794 petroleum Product Tankers were illegally released to smugglers last December,approval by those charged with the responsibility to enforce the Border closure. Aminu Dahiru, an Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, who was the Zonal Coordinator, of sector,3 Border Drill, when the deal was allegedly carried out and the Team members identified to have participated in the racket were said to have been on trial since then. There are indications that they may lose their job in their respective military and Para -military formations as directed by the President.
The rigid enforcement of the Law on the sale of petroleum products along the land borders in north central geo-political by the sector 3, Border Drill personel , may have led to reduction in the quantity of Premium Motor Spirit, polpular, Petrol, been consumed in the state and the country in general, over the last three months by about 10 million litres daily going by the report from the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR.
This is presumed to be the average quantity of petrol, usually smuggled from Nigeria into Benin Republic, Niger and Cameroon markets daily through the country’s porous borders. The PMS , according to insiders, are smuggled into these countries with Tankers,drums of 200 litres each, Jerry Cans of 25 litres each or bunkers constructed under the vehicle which are filled up regularly from a Nigerian filling station at the Border Commuities and emptied at depots provided in these countries. All that may have stopped in the Baruten local government Border Communities and its environs in Kwara state in the last three months, no thanks to the sector 3 Border Drill Zonal Coordinator.
Only recently, a Patrol Team of the sector 3, Border Drill , deployed at Bukuro general area of the Baruten local government , acting on information on the smuggling activities in Gwanara, intercepted seven motorcycles, popular Baja, conveying 60 X25 litres of Jerry Cans of Petrol at Agunrege village.
The suspected smugglers were said to have abandoned the Jerry cans of petrol and fled into the bush when they cited the Border Drill personnel coming after them.The seized Jerry cans load of petrol were transferred to the Broder base at Illesha Baruba Border Community, a source said.
