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Customs battles smugglers in post-border closure - Edoman - 03-04-2020
Customs battles smugglers in post-border closure
March 4, 2020 BAYO AKOMOLAFE reports
![[Image: Kegs-of-vegetable-oil-seized-at-the-Ogun...C412&ssl=1]](https://i2.wp.com/www.newtelegraphng.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Kegs-of-vegetable-oil-seized-at-the-Ogun-border-by-Customs-officialsyou.png?fit=666%2C412&ssl=1)
Six months after border closure, goods banned by the Federal Government are still finding their way into Nigeria from neighbouring countries as ingenuity deployed by smugglers has made illegal business to thrive, BAYO AKOMOLAFE reports
Some goods banned at the nation’s borders are entering Nigerian market daily, despite the measure taken by the Federal Government through joint border security exercise codenamed “Ex-Swift Response” to curtail smuggling from neighbouring countries.
Issue
The closure of Nigeria’s borders was undertaken in August 2019 to strengthen the nation’s security and protect the economy from collapse.
Government had complained that a lot of things had gone wrong regarding compliance with goods coming into the country, noting that the idea of border closure was to ensure that the protocol involved in transit of goods and trade facilitation is adhered to enable neighbouring countries complement one another.
However, six months after, a lot of imports restricted at the land borders had infiltrated the nation’s market.
Seizures
For instance, in Kwara State, out of the imports being smuggled into the country, some goods worth over N500 million had been seized from smugglers between August 20, 2019 and January 2020.
According to Mr Mohammed Garba, the Joint Border Operation Drill Coordinator in Charge of North Central States, Sector 3, Ilorin, some of the seizures include 12 trailers of rice, 52 different types of used vehicles and other vehicles used for conveying contraband goods.
Within the period, 204 illegal migrants were also arrested and repatriated. They include 100 Nigeriens, three Malians and two Chinese.
At Seme Border, NCS made 235 seizures with duty paid value of N91.16 million.
The acting Area Controller, Dalha Cheidi Wada, said that smugglers posed as traditional title holders to enjoy royal respect and free passage.
He explained that Customs had seized 1, 113 bags of 50kg rice; 24,710 litres of premium motor spirit; 188 cartons of frozen poultry products; 105 textile materials; 22 vehicles; 84 sacks of used clothing, ladies handbags and shoes, noting that a total of seven suspects were arrested in connection with various the seizures.
He said: “There is also daily smuggling of petroleum products and we have been seizing them along the various bush paths. We are ensuring that no one smuggled a jerrycan of Petroleum motor Spirit (PMS).”
Also, the anti-smuggling unit, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja, seized 625 cartons of frozen chicken, 187 jars and 66 drums of vegetable oil among other items within the period.
The unit’s spokesman, Mr. Jerry Attah, noted that the seizures were made within the state between February 5 and 7, 2020 following the discovery a new strategy being deployed by smugglers.
Similarly, large quantity of smuggled bags of rice, which were carefully concealed in a Volvo truck in Ogun state and disguised as cassava flour, fufu and maize were also seized two weeks ago.
He said that further examination revealed that 410 bags of smuggled parboiled rice of 50kilogramme each were deceptively packaged in the vehicle.
According to the command’s Public Relations Officers, Abdullahi Maiwada, two official vehicles attached to the Nigerian Army and the Customs respectively were equally pelted with bullets by some daredevil smugglers, who shot sporadically at officers and men of NCS, Ogun I Command when they invaded the smugglers’ hideout to evacuate the smuggled rice and other prohibited items.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) noted that the ingenuity deployed by the criminals or smugglers had made it possible for contraband items to come into the country.
Smugglers’ antics
Attah said that there were so many factors responsible for the entrance of smuggled items into the country in spite of efforts to stop them by the service.
He explained most smugglers used unapproved routes to bring in the contraband goods into the country while some conceal the items to escape arrest.
Atta noted: “People often ask where were Customs operatives when contraband goods entered the country without being stopped. We have seen a situation where rice is smuggled using gas cylinders or a situation where a spare tyre is used. The tyre is perforated and rice is loaded inside and when you open the booth you see what is supposed to be a tyre and if you do not have a tip-off, you are not likely to know that inside that spare tyre are 10 or 15 mudus (measures) of foreign rice.
In another circumstance, he said that smugglers used casket in carrying a corpse to either smuggle rice or petrol, adding that they load petrol in jerry cans and put it inside a casket, wrapped as if they were carrying a dead body.
Attah stressed: “If people with all these tricks succeed and escape, their smuggled items are what you find in shops, markets, and houses.”
Solution
However, it was learnt NCS was making moves to deploy high technology strategies, including drones in combating the smuggling of prohibited goods into the country.
Attah added that Customs had fortified its strategies and intelligence to check the activities of smugglers in the country.
Last line
There is need to equip security operatives in all the country’s borders to fight smuggling.