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Tag: Customs

  • Customs seizes smuggled rice worth N101.7m

    Customs seizes smuggled rice worth N101.7m

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has impounded about 1,160 bags of 50kg of foreign parboiled rice and five trucks used to convey them, in Edo.

    The rice and trucks worth N101.7 million were seized by the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Strike Force in zone “C”.

    Zone “C” comprises Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Imo, Abia, Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi.

    At a media briefing in Benin on Tuesday, Mr Abdullahi Kirawa, the National Coordinator of the Strike Force, said that the seizure was achieved through intelligence reports from members of the public and Customs intelligence unit.

    Kirawa said that the seized bags of rice were concealed in five trucks.

    He said that the smuggling showed the level of desperation of perpetrators.

    “The NCS will not relent in ensuring that activities of smugglers are nipped in the bud,” the official said.

    He said that smugglers had introduced new ways of smuggling rice into the country, listing the ways to include concealing bags of rice in fuel tankers and GP tanks.

    Kirawa appealed to members of the public to see smuggling as an evil wind that would blow no good.

    He urged members of the public to help to expose smugglers.

     

  • Police arrest customs officer for shooting motorist

    The police have arrested a customs officer for shooting a motorist at Iya-Afin checking point, Badagry, on Wednesday.

    Police sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry that the customs officer (name witheld) allegedly shot the victim at the right arm because he allegedly refused to stop for a check.

    According to the source, the motorist, who was coming from Seme Border, refused to stop at the check point and the officer opened fire which hit him at the right arm.

    “Friends and relations of the victim who were around, mobilised the people to attack the officer and it almost degenerated into chaos,” a witness said.

    However, SP Samson Akinromen, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Badagry, immediately visited the scene and ordered the arrest of the customs officer.

    “The officer was taken to Badagry Police Station while the victim was rushed to an unknown hospital for treatment,” the source said.

    The source further said that some of the relatives of the victim who visited the police station were told that the case had been transfered to Police Area “K” Command at Morogbo.

    Saidu Abdullahi, Seme Border Customs Spokesman, told NAN that the incident was yet to be reported to the command. (NAN)

  • How Customs intercepted container load of military uniforms, other items — Official

    The Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Joseph Attah, said the Service seized a container load of military uniforms and other items on Friday along Aba- Port Harcourt road.

    Attah, who said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja, noted that examination of the container was conducted in the presence of the owner’s representative.

    “The roving team of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone C, have seized a container with registration number MRSU 3040288 found to carry military uniforms and other items along Aba- Port Harcourt road.

    ” The container was taken to owerri where proper examination in the presence of the representative of the owner revealed the followings, 11 bales containing new sets of sawn military camouflage.

    ” Each bale contain 400 pairs of sawn military camouflage, 15 cartons containing Altama combat boots each carton contains 20 pairs and some sacks of made up garments.

    ” Seven Wooden furniture kitchen cabinets, 337 packs of new foreign tiles made in China, 27 medical equipment made in China, 34 rolls of water hose made in China and some household items,” Attah said.

    According to him, the Comptroller in charge of FOU, Zone C, Ahmed Azarema, said the owner’s representative had been detained.

    Attah said investigation to unravel all those connected to the crime had already commenced. (NAN)

     

  • Customs intercepts 200,000 ammunition in Niger

    Customs intercepts 200,000 ammunition in Niger

    The Area Command of the Nigeria Customs in Minna has intercepted a truck load of 200,000 live ammunition, the Comptroller, Benjamin Binga has disclosed.

    The Area Command comprises of Kogi, Kwara and Niger states.

    The Onitsha-bound truck was intercepted along the Wawa-Babana border on its way into the country from Benin Republic at about 3am on Monday.

    Two suspects, the driver, Bukari Dauda and the owner of the cartridges, Martin Anokwara, were apprehended along with the consignment when the vehicle, an Iveco Truck with Lagos registration number AKD 904 XE was intercepted.

    Mr Binga said that the truck on the surface was supposed to be carrying over 100 empty gerrycans, but after thorough search by men of the command, a false bottom which was used to hide the cartridges was discovered.

    “The checking was not from tip off, it was just out of sheer curiosity that my men decided to do a thorough checking and discovered that unlike other bottoms of trucks, this one had nuts and on removing the nuts, they discovered it was a false bottom which revealed the cartridges.

    “The cartridges are numbering thousands, it would take us hours to count it. We are now working to establish what the cartridges are really meant for and who sent them to bring it into the country,” he explained.

    The driver of the truck, Bukari Dauda, said during the interrogation that he is from Cotonu in Benin Republic, adding that he was commissioned by the driver, Martin Anokwara, to drive the truck for him to Onitsha.

    Dauda said that he did not know that the truck contained live cartridges as Martin only told him he wanted to take the empty gerrycans back to Nigeria.

    The owner of the cartridges, Martin Anokwara, admitted ownership of the cartridges just as he said that it was not meant for robbery .

    According to him, he supplies hunters and licensed owners of double barrel guns adding that he only sells them in Anambra.

    He said he had to contract Dauda to drive him back to Nigeria because the driver of the truck fell sick.

    Binga said the suspects would be charged to court on completion of investigation by the command.

  • Four killed as Customs, smugglers clash in Ogun

    No fewer than four persons were feared killed in Ilara, Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State yesterday following a bloody clash between operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and suspected smugglers.

    Six others also sustained gunshot injuries during the incident that occurred about 8:30am. Sunday Telegraph learnt that trouble started when suspected smugglers attempted to sneak in bags of rice in a convoy of vehicles from the border town to Abeokuta, the state capital

    It was learnt that the smugglers were accosted by a joint patrol team made up of NCS operatives and OP MESA soldiers. Sources said in a bid to impound the contrabands, the suspected smugglers put up a stiff resistance during which guns were freely used

    When contacted, the Customs Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Area Command, Abdullahi Maiwada, confirmed the incident. Maiwada, however, said he could not give a definitive account of the number of casualties recorded. “I learnt there was an interdiction between our men (Customs) and smugglers in Ilara border town when the smugglers wanted to move bags of rice in their vehicles out of the town to their receivers but I don’t have details of the incident.

  • Why we introduced new uniform for officers – Customs

    Why we introduced new uniform for officers – Customs

    The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has explained that it is not changing its uniform but is only introducing another one to be worn by officers who are working in an office or at the airport.

    Making this clarification on Friday, Public Relations Officer of the Service, DC Joseph Attah stated that the uniform would not be worn by its operatives on petrol, adding that the additional uniform was introduced so that Customs operatives would not have to wear one uniform all through the month.

    The Customs spokesman pointed out that while other military and para-military organisations have two or three different uniforms, Customs had one all along.

    He stated that the plan for the NCS to have an additional uniform had been in the works for some time now with different samples considered until the management agreed with that which was recently made public.

    Attah started with this question: “Other uniform organisations, don’t they have two or three different wears that they can use in different situations and on different assignments?” before saying, “We have introduced an additional new dress. Addition not a change of uniform.

    “It can be worn when you’re working in an office, maybe in an airport or depending on the type of assignment. Of course, you know you can’t wear this one to patrol.

    “If you look at Air force, you look at Navy, you look at the Police, you’ll discover that they have different colours of uniform. If you even look at the Immigration, there are different colours.

    “For some time now, Customs is just one and you keep wearing one thing from the first day of the month to the last day of the month.

    “This thing has been in the pipeline. We have been discussing it. We had sewn samples, management had gone through it for a very long time. And finally they said ‘it’s okay we can go public now’. And even while going public, we only used two people to wear it and go public and we released a press statement.”

    On whether all personnel of the Service would immediately start putting on the uniform, the Customs spokesman said, “The additional uniform will still go round but for now we are saying that only commissioned officers will start wearing it.

    “We have declared it official as I speak with you, and many people are making efforts to get their materials.

    “Maybe, eventually we will just decide that between so so days you, can appear in it so that you don’t just wear one cloth from the beginning of the week to the end of the week.”

  • We bribed DSS, others N1m to clear 661 Guns – suspect

    The trial of five men who were charged with illegal importation of 661 pump-action guns continued on Monday, with the first defendant, Mahmud Hassan, alleging that the gang paid N1 million to security agents to smuggle in the gun consignment at the Apapa Port, Lagos.

    Hassan made the allegation in a video played in court on Monday by the prosecution.

    The video was played in a trial-within-trial to test the voluntariness of the statement made by Hassan while in the custody of the Department of State Services.

    Hassan’s lawyer, Yakubu Galadima, had, at the previous hearing, opposed the move by the prosecution to tender his client’s statement as an exhibit, contending that he was tortured to make the statement.

    Justice Ayokunle Faji had then ordered a trial-within-trial to test the voluntariness of the statement.

    At Monday’s proceedings, the prosecution played a video of how Hassan was interrogated by the DSS operatives.

    The clip indicated that the interrogation was conducted on March 27, 2017 between 2pm and 2.45pm.

    The prosecution tendered the video clip in court through a DSS operative, Jaiye Emmanuel.

    The video captured Hassan as saying while being quizzed: “I gave N1 million to facilitate the moving of the container out of the port, but it is not because of the guns.”

    When Hassan was asked how the N1 million was shared among security agencies, he said: “The examiners were given N200,000; C.I.O. N100,000; enforcement N200,000; police, SSS, between N20,000, N25,000, and N30,000; the toll gates, N200,000; exit gate, N20,000; and final gate, N50,000.”

    The clip also captured Hassan telling his interrogators that he first billed the owner of the consignment N3.8 million when he was first told that the container contained steel doors, but raised the cost of clearing the consignment to N4 million when he was told that the consignment included 661 pump-action guns.

    Hassan is standing trial alongside Oscar Okafor; Donatus Achinulo; Matthew Okoye, said to be at large; and Salihu Danjuma.

    They were arraigned by the Federal Government on June 14, 2017 for allegedly importing 661 pump-action rifles into the country without lawful authority.

    In the eight charges pressed against the defendants, the Attorney General of the Federation said the defendants brought 661 pump-action rifles into the country from Turkey through the Apapa Port in Lagos, using a 40-feet container, which they falsely claimed contained steel doors.

  • [Graphic Photos] Armed smugglers ambush, butcher Customs official in Ogun

    There was pandemonium on Wednesday at the Ibeji River in Idogo-Ifonyitedo area of Ogun State as suspected smugglers ambushed, attacked and butchered a Customs official during a routine patrol of the area.

    It was learnt that the Operative attached to the Federal Operations Unit but posted to the Idiroko border area, was said to have been beaten thoroughly last Wednesday while on patrol with colleagues.

    Maigari and his colleagues were said to be responding to an intelligence report that some smugglers were coming with a smuggled Toyota highlander toward the Ibeji River but a fierce battle ensued when the Operatives ran into the smugglers.

    In the ensuing fight, the armed smugglers attempted to disarm Maigari but when he resisted it, they cut his left upper arm and left it with a deep gash.

    The Customs’ Public Relations Officer, Ogun Area Command, Abdullahi Maiwada, who confirmed the attack, said though the vehicle was intercepted but the smugglers harmed the operatives.

    According to him, the smugglers attempted to disarm Maigara and slash his head with the machete but he blocked it with his arm, which resulted in the life-threatening cut on his left upper arm.

    “One of our operatives was savagely attacked with a machete on Wednesday at Ibeji River around Idogo-Ifoyintedo axis in Idiroko.

    “The cut was life-threatening. The smugglers were armed and they confronted our operatives. But since we did not want any loss of lives, our operatives successfully intercepted the Toyota Highlander being smuggled through the forest.

    “It is currently in the command’s custody at sentry, Idiroko border. The command will not relent in curbing smuggling activities around Idiroko border and Ogun State as a whole,” he said.

    He said Maigari was first taken to the General Hospital, Idiroko, for treatment, later moved to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos for comprehensive treatment.

  • Again, Senators, Customs CG clash over ‘breach of protocol’

    Again, Senators, Customs CG clash over ‘breach of protocol’

    …as senators shun photo session with Customs leadership

    What was meant to be a routine oversight visit by the senators on Monday nearly turned chaos as the visiting senators and the Comptroller General (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service, Colonel Hameed Ali (retd.) had misunderstandings over acceptable protocols at NCS headquarters in Abuja.

    The Senate and Col. Ali had a long row over his refusal to appear before the upper chamber in uniform.

    The drama was triggered by remarks made by the Chairman, ad- hoc committee on “Economic Waste in the Nigerian Customs Service”, Senator Dino Melaye, over the manner in which the Senate delegation was received at the Customs office.

    Melaye noted that Col. Ali, by way of protocol, should have come down from his office to welcome the committee members into the premises.

    The Kogi West lawmaker said it was a breach of protocol for the CG to casually meet the delegation at the conference room.

    Melaye noted that ushering in the senators had been the practice with statutory bodies, such as Immigration, Prisons and others, over the years.

    He wondered why such established etiquette, which he said was the norm under previous Customs CGs was not accorded the committee by Col. Ali.

    Melaye said, “Before reading the prepared speech of the committee, let me make this small remark on what we have just observed here in form of breach of protocols.

    “Mr CG, rather than meeting us here at the conference room by way of courtesy, you are supposed to have met us at the ground floor on arrival into the premises.

    “That has been the practice of statutory bodies headed by Chief Executive Officers like you. Relevant Senate committees have over the years been accorded this by bosses of Immigration Service, Prison Service and others, making us to wonder why it is not so here today under your leadership.

    “Therefore, before proceeding further, on account of this observation , we want the Customs management to know that the presence of this committee before it implies that the Senate itself is before it to put things in order as regards the economic waste taking place in the Customs Service requiring the seriousness it deserves from you and the entire management.”

    Melaye insisted that the committee’s meeting with the Customs management was more or less that of the Senate.

    Apparently to indicate that the Senate was sitting, Melaye hit the gavel on the table to declare the meeting open.

    He read a speech to outline how the committee would carry out its investigation on the alleged economic waste in the Customs Service.

    In a counter attack, the Customs CG told the Senate delegation that the NCS has its own protocol, which is different from other public establishments.

    Col. Ali told the committee that the NCS would not want to be dictated to on matters of etiquette and protocol.

    He said: “We have our own protocol as regards receiving visitors like you. I don’t need to come downstairs to receive you just as nobody in the Senate or House of Representatives has ever come out to receive us anytime we visit the National Assembly.

    “So, there is no breach of protocol for not coming down to welcome you since appropriate officers have been assigned to do so. Our protocol is our protocol and should be allowed to be.

    “In fact, by way of etiquette, it is the committee that is supposed to come to my office first on arrival and not just come straight to the conference room.

    “Let me state clearly that we in the Nigeria Customs Service are servants of the people. We believe in Nigeria and working with others to make it great without being railroaded in anyway.

    “Personally, I took this job because of my commitment to serve this country selflessly, having earlier done so in the military. So, nobody can tell me that I’m not a committed Nigerian.

    “On your assignment you called economic waste, we shall cooperate with you to unearth whatever you want to unearth and effect any correction if there is any.”

    The Senate committee, which appeared not to be satisfied with Col. Ali’s reply, boycotted a group photograph organised by the Customs.

    As the visitors got set to leave the premises, they found that the Customs boss’ convoy was obstructing them – an action which they thought was deliberate. There was no official comment on this last night.

    While the Customs boss left the headquarters at about 2:15pm with his siren blaring convoy, the senators team left around 2:20pm after staying in their bus for about 15 minutes.

    Other lawmakers in the delegation are: Samuel Anyanwu (Imo East), Gilbert Nnaji ( Enugu East), Hamman Isah Misau ( Bauchi Central) and Babajide Omoworare ( Osun East).

  • Work harder, we’ll increase your salaries soon, Adeosun tells Customs officers

    The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has promised to ensure a salary increase for officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS.

    Mrs. Adeosun made the promise at the celebration of International Customs Day at the Customs Command and Staff College Gwagwalada, Abuja, on Friday.

    The theme of the event was “A secure business environment for economic development’’.

    The minister was represented by the Ministry’s Director of Finance, Oladudumi Bisola.

    Mrs. Adeosun urged officers of the NCS to put in more efforts to rise above target in revenue drive.

    She said that security of trade environment was central for business to proper, adding that security aspect of Customs role was as important as its revenue role.

    “The theme of this year Customs day coincides with the current ease of doing business initiative of the Federal Government.

    “We understand that the initiative is already yielding dividends based on the fact that we have improved by 24 points in the World Bank ranking system,’’ Mrs. Adeosun said.

    She commended the NCS for its remarkable success in ensuring national security in the past years.

    According to her, seizure of arms and ammunitions at the seaports were the possible indications that the Service is alive to its responsibilities.

    The minister also pledged to give the NCS the required support to succeed.

    The Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali, said the Service had made steady progress in automation of its processes.

    The Comptroller-General said in addition to these were other reforms aimed at ensuring a secured business environment.

    Mr. Ali said that other ongoing reforms in the Service were repositioning it through strategic deployment, training and automation of Customs processes.

    He said that clearance process through Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), fast track facility for compliant traders and the post clearance audit were aimed at reducing clearance time and cost.

    “The minister has been working diligently on how to see the welfare of the NCS improves.

    “We are presently working on the computation of figures and she is waiting for that figure.

    “As soon that is made available, then, the decision between her and Mr President will determine what Customs gets.

    “I assure all Customs officers that between the minister and the President, both are all ready to see that there is an improvement in welfare of NCS,’’ Mr. Ali said.

    The Customs boss urged Nigerians to support indigenous businesses by patronising made in Nigeria goods to encourage local production and boost industrial base.