The anti-smuggling drive of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A Ikeja received a major boost following the interception of an articulated truck laden with items neatly concealed and suspected to be contraband goods.
This disclosure came from the Controller Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’, Comptroller Amade Abdul during a chat with the media recently.
The Controller stated that the Headquarters Special Assignment Team led by Assistant Comptroller of Customs Shittu Abdulmaruf, comprising Chief Superintendent of Customs Dahiru Shehu Usman and others while on information patrol, at about 2100hrs of 1st October 2015, intercepted an articulated 18 tyre truck along the Sagamu-Ijebuode express road.
He stated that the vehicle was immediately brought down to the Headquarters of the federal Operations Unit Ikeja, where 100% examination was conducted, leading to the discovery.
He promised that the Unit would continue to degrade the capacity of smugglers however sophisticated they may be.
However, the controller stated that he had preempted that smugglers may want to take advantage of the Eld-el kabir celebration to perpetrate their heinous crime, hence his directive to all team leaders for a proactive approach.
He pointed out that “the operational dexterity of the Unit cannot be compromised, in consideration of the need to protect our country from being a dumping ground”.
The item seized includes: five thousand and twenty (5020) cartons of smuggled frozen poultry products neatly concealed with two thousand and sixteen (2016) packages of Nestle bottled water with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of thirty million, one hundred and seventeen thousand, six hundred naira (N30,117,600.00) only.
The Controller also revealed that a suspect was apprehended in connection with the Seizure and stated that the suspect would be a clue towards unraveling the major kingpins behind this illegitimate transaction with a view to ensuring that they were prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.
The Controller added that the Seizure became particularly symbolic in consideration of the dubious ingenuity of the smugglers to the extent that they could contemplate that mode of concealment.
Answering questions on the expectations of the Service in the new dispensation, the Controller stated “the Service under the present Comptroller-General of Customs Col. Hammed Ibrahim Ali (rtd.) will reach its full potentials in view of the antecedents of the CGC and his generally acclaimed stance on anti-corruption. We have taken cognizance of the new order and we must work towards ensuring that the mission and vision of the Comptroller-General is actualized”.
On the issue of frozen poultry products, the Controller pointed out that the Service since inception of ‘Operation Hawk Descend’ have recorded very remarkable achievement which can easily be seen from the scarcity and high cost of the products in the Nigerian market.
“From the look of things, it is certain that our aggressive patrol activities along the flanks and flashpoints have turned on serious heat on the smugglers, thereby forcing them in their desperation to look for alternative means of smuggling. Unfortunately, we are totally determined and committed to this assignment irrespective of whatever their antics might be”, he said.
The Controller promised to sustain the tempo as he acknowledged the effort of the NCS Management in providing logistic support in terms of functional patrol vehicles, arms/ammunition, training and re-training of officers amongst others.
He pointed out that the Unit would continue to play its leading role as the hub and flagship of anti-smuggling, having fine-tuned its operational methodologies to align with the change mantra of the Federal Government.
The Controller further stated the Customs had the capacity, competence and the requisite ability to combat smuggling irrespective of the hostile tendency of smugglers.
In view of this, he called on Nigerians to support the NCS in its fight against these economic saboteurs so that the adverse consequences of smuggling can be averted.
He revealed that in the series of meeting he had held with team leaders and Unit Heads, he had admonished them to be professional and combat-ready at all times in checkmating the excesses of smugglers and their cohorts.
Further, he noted that team leaders would naturally buoy the spirit of their subordinates through the entrenchment of fairness and equity in their relationship with their subordinates, which he stated would enhance the operational rebirth of the Unit and the NCS in general.
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