Promises Smugglers Hell
By Fola James
Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba has already mapped out a strategy on how to give itinerant smugglers hell at his new post in Ilorin, where he has been redeployed as the acting Commander Sector 3 of the Border Drill Operation.
The controller has spent the last 15 months enforcing the border closure policy of the federal government in Seme, one of Africa’s most busiest borders.
The former Comptroller of Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS was last week redeployed by the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hamid Ali rtd.) in a routine redeployment that affected two controllers and two deputy controllers.
Those also affected in the shake up are Comptroller Muhammed Aliyu, formerly of FOU, Zone A, Ikeja who has now been moved to Sector 4 of the National Border Drill operation: Comptroller Yahaya Usman, formerly Coordinator of Strike Force took over from him while Comptroller A.G Kakudi takes over from Usman.
Comproller Mohammed will now oversee the borders covering six states and FCT.
They are Kwara, Kogi and Niger states.
His jurisdiction also includes Benue, Plateau and Nassarawa states.
The task before him is enormous, according to those farmiliar with the difficult terrains around the very large border areas, but watchers of the NCS informed the magazine that Comproller Mohammed has a tract record of excellent performance considering where he was coming from, sources in the NCS said.
The controller is not also unaware of what the Service expect from him at this very moment when the President Muhamadu Buhari’s adminstration has ordered that the noose be further tightened around the borders to prevent the importation of goods from land borders.
Sources close to him told the magazine that he preffered not to disclose his strategy for now even though he has vast knowledge in border policing.
But barely few hours to resumption in Ilorin, from where he will coordinate the command, palpable fears have gripped smugllers in the area.
‘Serious’ smugglers, the magazine learnt have sent their men to Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja and Seme to interrogate some officers who worked with him in the two commands, to find out “how to understand Comptroller Mohammed“ a source told the magazine in the Kwara state’s capital.
Meanwhile, the controller told the magazine that he has been instructed by the CG to seal the borders and cut off smugglers.
But Comptroller Mohammed cannot work alone in seing to it that this policy of the federal government is achieved.
He will require the cooperation of officers and men on ground to get work done, security analysts say.
