By Stephen Ubanna

Those  who think that the redeployment of Sani Madugu, former Comptroller ,Ogun Command to the Customs Headquarters  as Comptroller , Enforcement, was as a result of the operation on Friday, April 6, 2018, by the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikja, Lagos Roving team at  Illogbo Community iwithin  in  Lafenwa, in  the outskirts of Abeokuta would be disappointed. The operation described in Customs circles as bursting crime in the jungle  was said to have been well planned because of the violent nature of the people.

The  Magazine  learnt that Magdugu knew a month in advance that he would be redeployed to the Customs Headquarters to Had the Enforcement Unit in the Department of Enforcement and Investigation ,  headed by D an Gladima.A., a Deputy Comptroller General of Customs.

The Source gathered that the  Lafenwa  operation was at  the instance of  Muhammed Uba Garba,   Comptroller, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, based on” credible intelligence.”  A source confirmed that at the onset it looked as if the operation would be a flop. This is  because of the stiff resistance f of the people as they were determined to frustrate the FOU Ooperation team.

. Eyewitness account disclosed that  aggrieved youths of the Community who had had kegs of fuel with them were battle ready  to burn the Customs operational vehicles.  The situation , according to the source was so intense  that Jack, the team leader had to reach out to the  Comptroller, who  quickly contacted Madugu, the Comptroller of Ogun Command for reinforcement. The Comptroller was said to have  ordered Seriki Abdullahi, a Chief Superintendent of Custooms, and the Command Head of Crack Squad  based in Idiroko, the operational base of the Command , to mobilize  his  officers and move into Ilogbo Community  to reinforce the FOU, Lagos Roving

In a military dispatch, Abdullahi was said to moved into Ilogbo with his officers to help quell the activities of the riotous youths of the Community to pave way for the FOU team to leave with the smuggled rice found  in the makeshift houses in the area.

Muhammed, the Comptroller confirmed that 2,671 bags of 50 kg bags of foreign parboiled rice  were evacuated from the village  using nine hired trucks. Giving an insider information about the achievements recorded by the Command in its anti-smuggling operations in the last couple of weeks, he confirmed that  the Command made  a seizure of 6,003 bags of foreign parboiled rice. The total rice figure seized within the period include the 2,671 bags  evacuated from Illogbo Community in Lafenwa  axis of Abeokuta.

It would be recalled that early last March the  Lagos Roving team had gone on operation based on credible information supplied at Idiroko, the major operational base of Ogun Command over  suspected Vehicles loaded with rice  being smuggled into the country from Republic of Benin. The officers  of the Inspector General of police, IGP, Tactical Squad , was said to have been involved in the operation.

There was alleged stiff resistance from the people forcing  Jack and his men to tactically withdraw from the scene to avoid casualty. A source told the Magazine  that the  smugglers who  were coming into the country with nine Vehicles loaded with 50 kg  foreign parboiled rice of about  25  bags of foreign parboiled rice of 50 each were trapped in their smuggling route. They could not move forward or backward because everywhere was strategically covered by Customs officers on the operation including the IGP’s men who were on ground armed to the teeth.

The tactical withdrawal of the  FOU, Zone A,  Roving  team personnel may have created an opportunity for the  IGP Tactical Special Squad  to impound the nine vehicles loaded with the smuggled Vehicles loaded with rice.

Many had expected Ibrahim  Idris, the IGP, to order the immediate release of the smuggled Vehicles loaded with rice  to the Customs, which responsibility it is to intercept and keep seized goods.  sources told the Magazine that  the FOU, Zone A, Customs boss made all the necessary efforts including phone calls to Edgal Imohimi, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police including having a personal contact  to facilitate the release of the items to the Customs Command  but no luck.

Given the hard line position of the Police Commissioner on the matter, Mohammed, the FOU, Zone A, Customs boss was said to have petitioned  Hameed Ali, a retired Colonel and Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to intervene to save the situation from degenerating. Ali was said to have reached out to Idris,  his counterpart in the Force  Headquarters, Abuja, and a Compromise reached  to release the items to Customs.

A source confirmed that the IGP had directed  that the eight or  nine Vehicles  loaded with the foreign parboiled rice  still in police custody in Lagos,  since  March 14, 2018, be released to  Customs.  The Magazine gathered that the letter was written on March 16, 2018 but that was how far he could go. The source disclosed that Imohimi, the Lagos Police Command boss did not heed to the IGP directive to realse the items to the  Customs Formation at Ikeja..

The argument in police  circles, according was that the Ikeja Customs formation do not have the facilities to keep the seized smuggled items. They had  had wanted to carry out an inspection of the  place  that the Customs formation would keep the items if handed over to them.  It was a major bottle neck that was said to have been created by the police to delay the release of the items to Customs.

In spite of the fact that the Crime was committedin Lagos states in the south west geo-political Zone, the  Commander, IGP,  Tactical Special Squad was said to have  unilaterally carried out an investigation into the case without the involvement of  Customs officials.

Based on the investigation , it was gathered that eight persons were arrested in connection with the smuggled Vehicles loaded with rice and were subsequently charged to a Magistrate Court in Abuja. The question on the lips of most people was: why were  the suspects being dragged to a Magistrate Court in Abuja instead of Lagos where the  Crime was committed. ” They further queried on what ground are the suspects being charged to Court ”,  This is because Customs cases against suspected smugglers are susally charged to a High Court .   The eight suspects were said to have been  convicted to five months imprisonment each on each count with an option of N6000.00.

Okeaga Azubuike, the trial Magistrate was said to have ordered the release of  the alleged 150 bags of rice found in the  vehicles  to Customs and its forfeiture to the government. Already, Muhammed, Comptroller of FOU, Zone A, was said to have concluded arrangement  to take over the items from Police Authorities in Lagos.

While  the FOU, Zone A, Customs boss is making plans to take  delivery of the smuggled rice  loaded in nine Vehicles  from the police,  the Command on its part on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, handed over 570 parcels and  98 sacks of Cannabis  sativa, popular India  hemp, weighing 1,550kg to Lawal Isiaka, Principal Staff Officer, PSO, in charge of  Intelligence and Investigation, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA at the Command.

An  elated Isiaka said,  ”the fight against illicit drugs is for everybody including security agencies”.   He disclosed of plans by his agency  to form a ”motorized patrol team with the NCS to block all loopholes used by the illicit drug dealers in the country”.

The major seizure of the  Command  during the period was said to have been made at Apapa  and Tincan Island ports where four Containers intercepted   for  false declaration   by the Command’s Lagos Roving  team were seized on the orders of Muhammed, the Comptroller after re-examination.

Investigation by  the Magazine shows  that of the four Containers, both ”40” and  ”20”,  seized  by the Command  2x”40” of it  were found to have been released at APM Terminal,  Apapa port while 1x”40”  and another 1x”20” was  released from Tin can Island port. The 1x”20”, Container no:CSNU06087/4  was found to be carrying 2,260 cartons of Gonca Spaghetti made in the European country of Turkey and an additional 530 package of Energy drinks made in another European country.

But what was said to have been declared by the Importer in the SGD form  wasa baking powder. A tough talking an Muhammed   revealed  that  the Container was never exited properly through the gate, fueling speculations that there might have been a collusion between Customs Officials and the Importer’s Clearing agent at the port to commit the fraud.

”We are still investigating  and all those found culpable  will face the  wrath of the Law”, the FOU, Zone A, Comptroller said. The 1x”40”, Container no: CIU865957/1 was said to have been seized by the Customs Enforcement Unit for carrying  200 cartons of Ladies shoes, 140 cartons  of that of Children among other items as against  Computer keyboard and mouse in the SGD by the Importer.

In the case of the Containers that were released at Apapa port and seized by the Command, one of it , Container no: FCIU8992/1 was seized ” for allegedly carrying 2,300 cartons of tiffany  chocolate, 385 cartons of tifanny crunch and cream biscuit as against  ”Tapet for fuel pump complete which was said to have been declared by the Importer in the SGD .

aThis is an indictment on Jibril Musa and Baba Musa M.A. , Comptrollers , Apapa and Tincan Island  Command respectively and their Enforcement Units for failure to track the Containers before it left  the ports. This is because of their claims that that stakeholders at their ports are now compliant with government fiscal policy measures.  Musa , the Apapa Customs boss  was even boastful and optimistic that the NCIS II training which had flagged off at Kirikiri Lighter terminal, KLT, and Tin can Island port and other  ports when it becomes  operational at Apapa would help to block areas of revenue leakage  and boosts its monthly revenue collections.

It would be recalled that  the Customs Authorities had made clear to Importers with their clearing agents that  release of Containers without examination, proper documentation, false declaration, flying of Containers or recycling of documents  among others is liable to outright seizure and forfeiture to government.

Also, on the seizure list of the FOU, Zone A, Command were 64 exotic Vehicles . The vehicles were said to have been seized at different parts of Lagos state including Ogun state. It was learnt that18 of such exotic vehicles are still under detention and could only be released to the owners if theycould tender the necessary papers to the Command.

The Duty Paid Value, DPV of the alleged various contrabands seized by the Command including the exotic vehicles , according to the Comptroller was about N1.461 billion. This is in addition to  the N166.207 million recovered  from duty payments and  demand notices, DN,  on general goods from the seaports , airports and land border stations through ”wrong Classification, transfer of value and underpayment”.

Appealing to smugglers to desist from such trade malpractices and engage in legitimate business, the Comptroller said  the Unit has  devised other operational modalities that would give them a run for their money that would make many of them to  rot in jail.

A t present , 10 suspects were said to have  been arrested in connection with the seizures made by the Command  in the recent time. The FOU , He disclosed that  the Command could not have achieved that much without  the support of  the  Ali  led management team, the Army and the police  including the  support of officers and men of the Command .

To sustain the anti-smuggling drive,  he has urged the officers to go out and make seizures to” win his confidence”.  He was said to have rejig the operational roaster of the Command to give a bite to its anti-smuggling operations.

By  Stephen Ubanna

Dangladima.A. , a Deputy Comptroller General , DCG, of Customs, in charge of Enforcement and Investigation, at the Customs Headquarters appears to have put Christopher Odibu, Comptroller , Oyo and Osun Command and his officers under pressure to give a bite to the Command anti-smuggling operations.

The pressure on Odibu and his men may not be unconnected to the rumour making the rounds  over alleged  large scale smuggling of rice and vegetable oil at different parts of the  states which are under the  jurisdiction of the Command.  The Deputy Comptroller General was said to had been kept abreast of the smuggling activities going on in  the two state on a daily basis by unsuspected fifth columnists who analysts said  are out to frustrate the Oyo/Osun Command Customs boss from succeeding.

The situation was too bad as the Customs Enforcement and Investigation boss who could no longer keep the information  to himself as he decided to unveil it to the Oyo/Osun Comptroller in order to sit up.

A visitor to Ibadan, the operational base of the Command  disclosed that the frequent calls on Odibu about the activities of smugglers in his areas of jurisdiction despite the good number of his officers on the road by the DCG, is having a toll on his health. The visitor confirmed that the earliest time he leaves the  office daily was 8p.m as  he has made it a point of duty to talk with the patrol leaders and give them new directives on how to go about their duties.

Given the pressure from the Headquarters, he was said to have made it clear to the patrol team leaders that anyone  who allows smuggled foreign parboiled rice ,vegetable oil or any other prohibited items to be smuggled into  the country through his area of control will be summarily dealt with.

A senior Customs officer who spoke to the Magazine on condition of anonymity  explained that Odibu may have  been in the bad book of his detractors because of the holistic approach to deal with smugglers and their Customs collaborators in the state.” I have come to work and put things right in Oyo and Osun states”, the Comptroller was reported to have said.

there are indications in both official and unofficial  circles that  Odibu and his officers case were made worse by the frequent bursting of smuggler’s operations and seizures made in different parts of  Oyo and Osun states  which reports are regularly sent to the office of Dangaladima, the DCG, Enforcement and Investigation and Hameed Ali, a retired Colonel and the Comptroller General by   Muhammed Uba Garba, Comptroller, Federal Operation’s Unit, Zone A, Ikeja.

In the recent time, the FOU, Zone A,  was said to have made an alleged eight trucks load  of  smuggled foreign parboiled rice in an area in Oyo state and another three trucks load of rice, containing about 1,200 bags of rice from Ogbomosho, another major town in the state. Garba, the FOU, Zone A Comptroller  was said to have engaged the services of informants who had provide a clue on how to burst the smuggling ring and achieve results.

Many believe that most of the informants  that had been volunteering information  to the FOU, Zone A, and the Lagos based Strike Force about warehouses stocked with smuggled rice may not be totally correct. This is because of the rot at the nation’s seaports  because of the recycling of Customs papers on the importation of rice as most of the  rice stocked in the warehouses were imported through the seaport in Lagos.

In spite of the fact that the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria , CN, had not issued letter of Credit, LC, to rice importers in the last one year ,but the items had continued to find their way into the country through the nation’s seaports on the excuse that the approval given to them in the past years are yet to be utilized.

A source told the Magazine that rice importers  easily have their way because of the difficulty in identifying a  recycled rice import document . This is because of the general stamp that is used for  all rice  import documents.

The source who claimed to have been in Oyo Command in the six five years as an officer, revealed that there had  been an instance where the FOU, Zone A, Lagos Roving team, had raided some warehouses in Ibadan and its suburbs , carted away  thousands of bags of rice but the importer was able to tender the necessary import documents to the Command , forcing the then Comptroller of the Command to release the items to the owner with an apology.

The officer may be insinuating that the recent eight trucks load of rice and the about 1,200 bags seized from a warehouse in Ogbomosho may not have been totally smuggled as alleged by the FOU, Zone A, Customs  boss and his retinue of informants.

Despite the claims by pundits that both FOU Zone A, officers and the Headquarters Strike Force are over stepping their bounds in both Oyo and Osun states , Odibu, the Oyo/Osun Command Customs boss was said to have   rejig the Command operational   teams as a way of giving a bite to its anti-smuggling operations .

An Ibadan resident confirmed  that the measures that had been put in place by Odibu to frustrate smugglers plying the Saki route and other notorious  routes in the  state appears  had shut down the two states against smugglers. This is evident as smuggled foreign parboiled rice, Vegetable Oil and Vehicles are no longer being smuggled into Oyo and Osun states  as was the case in the past.

Indeed, a  bus driver plying Ibadan and Saki, which is about four hours,  on Okada ride to the nearest border Community between Nigeria and Republic  through the town has dropped significantly. He  confirmed that  the road between Ibadan and Saki town had been completely taken over by Customs personnel mostly from the Oyo/Osun Command. The officers, he said , are also combing the villages within the Saki axis  to frustrate the smugglers from coming out with their smuggled rice and Vegetable Oil to load into t buses to different parts of Oyo or Osun states, thus forcing many of them out of the trans-border transport businesss.

The driver disclosed that in the past , he used to make about four to five trips to Saki town daily but he could hardly make two trips now  as many traders who ususally travel to Saki to buy rice could no longer do so to buy the expected Commercial quantities as many  smugglers had  gone underground for fear of losing their money and items to Customs.

The desperate smugglers who could no longer stand the superior fire tactics of the Customs officers, may have devised  alternate   ways of taking  out their smuggled items, particularly  rice and vegetables into the Nigeria market i through  Oyo and Osun states . They were  said to have resorted to the use of Train services to carry out their illegitimate trade.

Only recently, a patrol team from the Oyo/Osun Command, acting on a tip off were said  to have stopped a passenger train heading to Ibadan station. The passenger train was said to have been  loaded with a large quantity of vegetable oil.

The Magazine gathered that there was apparent confusion in the area where the train was stopped by Customs  officials.  Eyewitness account disclosed that after much argument, the train driver pleaded to be allowed to drive the train  to their Ibadan station to discharge the items instead of discharging it on rail tracks which might obstruct  the  movement of goods and services in the area.

He disclosed that the Customs patrol team leader had  given the train driver the nod to take the smuggled items in their train coach to their Ibadan station for proper documentation and subsequent hand over to the Command. As at press time, the items were still  at the Ibadan train station

Insiders described the use of Passenger Trains in the south west, particularly, Oyo and Osun  states as a regular occurrence as  Train drivers saw it as an opportunity of carrying cargoes which gives much money to the  Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC.

Worried by the use of passenger trains to smuggle rice, vegetable oil and other banned items by the government,  officers had challenged , Odibu, the Oyo/Osun Customs boss to take up the matter with Dangladima, the DCG, Enforcement and Investigation, who in turn should take it up with Ali, the Comptroller General, to facilitate the release of the smuggled items in the NRC, Ibadan  Station to the Command.

The officers is are optimistic that once Ali is put into the picture of the use of NRC facilities to smuggle goods, he would be encouraged to take up  the matter with Eng. Usman Abubakar, the Chairman of NRc, who may be forced  to caution his train drivers  who stop over in unapproved locations to  carry smuggled goods to desist from it or be fired.

The embattled  Oyo/Osun Comptroller  may have sent a signal to Smugglers in Oyo and Osun states to prepare for war  within his first month in office .  Under his guidance,  patrol team leaders  were said to have impressed him with their seizures of two trucks, six Tunkunbo vehicles  used smuggling shoes, bags of rice, vegetable oil ,  secondhand clothing , and fairly used tyres.

The  Comptroller had confirmed in his first  media interation with Journalists in Oyo state that the Command  made a seizure of 375 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 27 bales of secondhand clothing, 60, 25 litres keg of vegetable oil and 600 bags of fertilizer. It was learnt the seizures were made between Saki and Ibadan. The seizures were however, a far cry to what the FOU, Zone A, Ikeja and the Headquarters Strike Force, were said to have made  in the state within the period.

Given the resort to Passenger trains  by Smugglers in Oyo and Osun states to carry out their nefarious activities  and the challenge of  FOU, Zone A as well as the Headquarters Strike Force officers, Odibu, the Oyo Customs boss  was said to have reached out to Fidelis Azinta, a Major General and the General Officer Commanding, GOC, the 2nd  Mechanised Division, Ibadan  and the Director of the Department of State Security, DSS, at the outskirts of Ibadan to  seek for their support in the anti-smuggling war in the states on Thursday, April5, 2018.

He was said to have told the GOC and the Director of DSS, that  the Command would not hesitate to request for their assistance to clip the wings of the smugglers in some of the no go areas  in the state because of the sophisticated weapons used by them.

The  Army boss was said to have assured  him of their support at any point in time to bring the activities of smugglers in the state to a standstill. The DSS were also said to have promised  their support in  the area of information gathering and dissemination  to the Command about smugglers in the state.

This is good news to Odibu and his men who had looked forward to such a time when they could meet the leadership of the two security outfits in the state to seek for their  support to curtail the activities of smugglers in  both Oyo and Osun states.

It is hoped that this new found working relationship between the Army, DSS and the Oyo/Osun Customs Command, it would go a long way to curtail the activities of smugglers in the two states. It would be recalled that  late last month, Garba, Comptroller , FOU, Zone A, led some senior officers from the Command  to pay a courtesy call on Azinta, the GOC,  f the Army second Mechanised Division in Ibadan. The visit was said to have been informed by the seizure of eight trucks loaded with rice from the Ibadan axis and  another three trucks  loaded with about 1,200 bags of rice in Ogbomosho town, also in Oyo state.

The FOU, Zone A, Customs boss may have gone to seek the support of the Army in their anti-smuggling operations because of the harassment of the officers who went on the operation at Ogbomosho.  Aggrieved Youths from the town  were said to have blocked the road against the officers  to forestall leaving the town with the impoundeed smuggled rice . They were said to have used stones, broken bottles              and other dangerous weapons to throw at the officers to provoke them to shoot at the crowd but got  it wrong.

The Magazine gathered that there were   Army and police officers  at the scene with rifles  but could not come to the support of the embattled FOU, Zone A, operational Officers fueling speculation that they may have liked  the attack on the Customs officers.

By Oji Odu

From Ikorodu Road in Lagos to Kudurat Abiola Way, and to most parts of the Lagos metropolis, the long fuel queues of vehicles and jerry cans have resurfaced, including the thriving black market. The is same in Abuja the nation’s capital and other parts of the country.     Many of the filling stations operated by major marketers are not selling while outlets owned by independent marketers are shut.  Those that are selling sell above the official pump price of between N200 to N300 per litre. Do we blame them? What went wrong?

Most Nigerians had thought that the problem which almost grounded the nation during the yuletide was a forgone issue following the explanations by government and alleged agreement between them and the marketers. But, no, it seems to be far from over as the blame game between government and the petroleum marketers has continued, with the masses bearing the heavy brunt.

Reacting to the situation, Executive Secretary of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketing Association, DAPPMA, Femi Adewole, said if the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) can raise supply, they will be able to get to inland areas and focus on major cities.

In a chat with the Magazine, a major marketer at one of the besieged filling stations at Kudirat Abiola Way, Lagos, and who craves anonymity said: “ It’s a pity that the NNPC will not want Nigerians to know the truth of the matter. How do they want us to load the product at over N145 per litre and expect us to sell at the so called official N145 per litre pump price? It is not possible. It can only be possible when the pump price is increased.”

But  the NNPC has not only denied the allegation that it is not supplying enough fuel to the marketers, it has also  debunked the rumour and assured Nigerians that it has no plans to increase prices both at the pump and ex-depot level.

Meanwhile,  the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), an agency of the federal government, claimed that it pays out a minimum of N26 billion annually as reimbursement to petroleum product marketers as palliative for transportation.

A source at the Fund who craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter revealed  that the agency pays out a minimum of N500 million weekly to some petroleum products marketers across the country which translate to N26 billion annually.

Although the figures according to the source may vary from time to time, the least amount paid to marketers per is week is N500 million. The source further disclosed that the agency pay over 15,000 marketers across the country weekly.

“When we make payment we deal with more than 15,000 marketers. If we are making payment, you will see that in less than 2 minutes we pay about 15,000 people across every nook and crannies of Nigeria. We pay out over N500 million every week.

“You know in Nigeria people don’t believe that you can pay N50 million without receiving anything, but in this case, you don’t even know who you are paying you are driven by the data,” the source said.

However, PEF’s spokesperson, Dr. Goody Nnaji, refused to confirm the figure to our correspondent, stressing that the agency does not disclose how much it pays to marketers due to the inherent danger in doing so.

According to him, the agency, in sometime past used to publish the payment to marketers but stopped doing so as some marketers said the action exposes them to becoming targets of armed robbers and kidnappers.

In his reaction to the situation, an angry commercial taxi driver at the besieged NNPC filling station, Moshood Adedeji, told the Magazine that he had been on the queue for over four hours without hope that he will get fuel, unless he resorts to the black marketers who sell at between N230 and N250 per litre.

“ In fact, everyday, everything gets worse, and I believe those in government, who do not care about our sufferings are even more confused,” he lamented.

But on his take on the situation, Johnson Okon, a Civil Servant, said that until issue of refineries are resolved, the problem will continue to reoccur. “Enough of the ‘snake and rat game. Nigerians are already overburdened. What we need is adequate supply of petrol that we have in this country,” he said.