The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ‘strike force’

  • Customs, Strike Force seize N1.818b goods

    The Comptoler-General of Customs (CGC) Strike Force team in the zone seized contraband with over N118 million DPV between May and last month, its Coordinator, Deputy Comptroller Usman Yahaya, has said.

    He praised his team for using available resources to improve the revenue collection in the zone and also suppress smuggling.

    A breakdown of the seized items include 6,580 bags of 50kg rice, 1,292 kegs of 25 litres vegetable oil, 1,607 cartons of frozen poultry, 17 bales of second hand clothing, and used vehicles – one unit of Peugeot 206 and one unit of Fiat bus.

    Yahaya said five trucks loaded with contraband foreign rice (50kg each) were intercepted along Badagry creek.

    He warned smugglers to stay clear of Zone A and embrace the Federal Government’s business policy.

    In another development, operatives of the Federal Op-erations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have seized drugs, vehicles, donkey skin and other goods with over N1.7 billion duty paid value (DPV).

    The unit’s Controller, Aliyu Mohammed, told reporters of his men’s resolve to keep the anti-smuggling tempo high, despite the death of an officer last week.

    Mohammed said a 2019 bullet-proof Toyota Land Cruiser with N189 million DPV and 15 other high-profile vehicles with N469,702,179 DPV were seized from smugglers in one month.

    Also seized were 1157 cartons of banned codeine syrup worth N405 million; 347 cartons of codeine worth N173.5 million; 348 cartons of diclofenac tablets worth N27.8 million; 1,056 cartons of chest and lungs tablets worth N105,600,000; 49 cartons of paracetamol injections worth N39.2 million and 220kg of substance suspected to be cannabis.

    Donkey skin in 820 sacks worth N77.9 million, new and used textile materials, body lotion, shoes, spaghetti, machetes and used tyres were among the seized items displayed.

    According to Mohammed, while some of the seized drugs were prohibited, others were not registered by the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), making them unfit for consumption.

    Mohammed, who showed how smugglers pack rice in cement trucks, added that his men seized over 25,000 bags.

    ‘’We also have over 25,000 bags of 50kg rice which were seized in the same period . Some of the rice are in our approved checkpoints awaiting evacuation to this place.

    ‘’Look at how cement has rubbed all over the bags of rice. This is why we always ensure that NAFDAC certifies any rice we are giving to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and orphanages. NAFDAC confirmed to us, during some of our due diligence, that some of the rice were not even fit for animal consumption.

  • Customs reconstitutes Strike Force

    The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), has dissolved the Customs Strike Force as presently constituted with a viewing to reconstituting it in a decentralised form.

    The Strike Force is described as customs third layer of defence in the prevention of smuggling and duty evasion after the Area Commands and Federal Operations Unit (FOU).

    Ali who announced the dissolution in a circular dated May 14, 2019, titled: Dissolution of old CGG strike Force and Recomposition  of New CGC  Strike Force signed by a Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement Investigation and Inspection, Augustine Chidi, also appointed three Deputy Comptrollers of Customs to head Zones A (Lagos), B (Kaduna) and C (Owerri).

    The dissolved Strike Force, hitherto headed by Abdullah Kirawa, a Deputy Comptroller, covering the entire country, was asked to handover to the heads of the newly decentralised body.

  • Customs’ ‘Strike Force’ co-ordinator vows hard times for smugglers

    The new National Co-ordinator, ‘Strike Force’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Abdullahi Dahiru Kirawa has promised smugglers hard times.

    Speaking at the weekend after taking over the leadership of the anti-smuggling outfit of the Service, Kirawa said he would collaborate with other Customs’ Commands to flush out smugglers.

    He said with the support of other officers of the Service, he would harness all human and material resources to achieve the zero tolerance policy on smuggling.

    A few years back, his group, it was learnt, seized about 10,000 bags of rice in a single operation on Seme/Badagry Expressway.

    Kirawa is seen by his colleagues as a grassroots officer, who understood the terrain and has the ability to conquer the environment where smugglers carry out their nefarious activities.

    “I know the terrain more than they do and I’m a grassroot man too with a lot of informants. So, my advice to them is that they should find legitimate things to do to earn a living because if they continue with smuggling, they will not only lose their investments, but will equally be prosecuted.

    “Everybody knows that the CGC, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), has zero tolerance for anything that is illicit, including smuggling and is fully prepared to descend heavily on criminals in the system.

    “Therefore, with his mandate, my team and I are fully ready to crack down on all saboteurs of the economy. The law must be implemented to the letter as far as the Strike Force of the Customs is concerned.

    “I must make it known here that the Strike Force covers the entire country and my men are all over the place, both land and water, to ensure that no illegal goods enter undetected. Like I said earlier, anybody who wants to lose his investments and face prosecution should smuggle. We will spare nobody because we stand by the mandate given to us by the CGC and the law of the land,” he said.

    Seeking the cooperation of stake-holders, he advised importers and customs agents to keep abreast of import guidelines.

  • Customs Strike Force goes tough

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) has impounded about 3,000 bags of rice worth over N45 million. Two suspects, it was gathered, are been held in connection with the seizure.

    The 3,000 bags of rice were seized in Ogun State by Comptroller-General of Customs Col. Hameed Ali’s  Strike Force, which was set up to combat smuggling.

    The force is posted to the Customs four zonal offices in Lagos, Kaduna, Bauchi and Port Harcourt.

    Sources close to the Service told The Nation that the smuggled rice were concealed inside containers and trucks belonging to some registered companies.

    The smuggled rice numbering about 3,000 bags of 50kg has a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of about N45 million.

    The interception is coming barely a week after the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, said the Federal Government would close some of the land borders due to massive smuggling of rice.

    A source said: “Customs Zonal Commander of the Strike Force (Zone A),   AC Salisu Assababullah , led the team that made the seizure at Ijebu Ode,  Ogun State.

    “The  strike force was able to make the seizure through intelligence gathering and immediate response to the information gathered on the nefarious activities of the smugglers around the area.

    ”The CGC task force intercepted 3000 bags of 50kg rice smuggled into the country. They were intercepted along Ijebu Ode expressway with two suspects in custody.”

    ”We were able to get intelligence report that container laden trucks were taken to the border area, load it with smuggled rice and put seal as if it were a container released from seaports.”

    The source attributed the Strike Force’s success to other members of the team and acknowledged the Federal Government’s approval of brand new Pick-Ups for anti-smuggling which, he said, aided  the  interception .

    On June 7, 2016, the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari approved N1,5 billion for the procurement of 68 brand new Ford Pick-Ups for the Customs.

    The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who briefed State House Correspondents alongside the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning and the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the operational vehicles available for the service were grossly inadequate for effective anti-smuggling.

    She added that the need to effectively patrol the borders, enhance Customs’ bid to suppress smuggling and increase revenue collection gave rise to the request to purchase 68 operational vehicles.

    Adeosun explained that having identified the need, the Service made provision for the purchase of 68 operational vehicles, Hilux, in its 2017 capital appropriation.

    The strike force got nine vehicles from the 68 vehicles approved by FEC for anti-smuggling and in two weeks, the strike force was able to intercept 3,000 smuggled rice.

    A senior Customs officer advised smugglers to engage in legitimate business.  Part of the force’s mandate, according to Customs National Public Relations Officer, Mr Joseph Attah, is to check officers’ activities.

    He said the force was set up to fight smuggling.

    “The team is empowered to enter any command system on suspicion of fraudulent activities taking place or about to take place with a view to blocking all revenue leakages from the system.

    “The team is allowed to partake in the examination of any suspected container generated by the ICT,” he explained.

  • Customs gets ‘strike force’

    The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Col. Hameed Ali, has set up a strike force to combat smuggling.

    The force, it was learnt, has been posted to the Customs four zonal offices in Lagos, Kaduna, Bauchi and Port Harcourt.

    Part of the force’s mandate, according to Customs National Public Relations Officer, Mr Joseph Attah, is to check officers’ activities.

    He told The Nation that the force was set up to fight smuggling.

    “The team is empowered to enter any command system on suspicion of fraudulent activities taking place or about to take place with a view to blocking all revenue leakages from the system.

    “The team is allowed to partake in the examination of any suspected container generated by the ICT,” he explained.

    Attah added that the team would ensure that all unutilised Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) bill of lading, as well as air way bills was accounted for.

    “They are to monitor the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) in order to checkmate capital flight and PAAR merchandise.

    “This is what they are expected to do, their operation is fashioned this way to be in line with the demand of the executive order on the Ease of Doing Business,’’ Attah said.

    He noted that the strike force would erect checkpoints rather than roam the highways except on credible information by the surveillance operatives of the Service.

    “The strike force will treat the information and return to base. It is the desire of the CGC to sanitise the system for optimum performance.

    “This particular strategy will enhance free flow of goods on our high ways.

    “No hither land or highway patrol by the team, the surveillance team will work for 24 hours and their work is not intended to impede free flow of goods,’’ he added.

    According to him, the team will be under the co-ordination of a Deputy Comptroller assisted by four Assistant Comptrollers of Customs.