The Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has said that it collected the sum of Seven Hundred and Seventy-Three Million, One Hundred and Sixty-Eight Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Six Naira, Three Kobo (N773, 168, 246. 03) as revenue for the month of February, 2017.
The anti-smuggling operation of the command also facilitated Sixty-One (61) seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of Sixty-Two Million, Six Hundred and Eleven Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty-Eight Naira (N62, 611,168.00) for the period under review.
A statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Selechang Taupyen also indicated that five (5) suspects were arrested while one (1) conviction was secured by the command during the period under review.
Commenting on the revenue figure, the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the command, Comptroller Victor Dimka said that all hands must be on deck to realize a higher amount in the months ahead considering the fact that the last year target for the command was being maintained.
Dimka stated that with the upward reviewed values of imported goods to meet the current realities, the additional value should be able to cover the shortfall that was evident with the ban on importation of vehicles through the land borders.
While addressing his unit heads, the Customs Area Controller enjoined them to add value in all the core functions of the service they were expected to execute.
He outlined areas of commitment that were of utmost priority which he advised should be viewed with every degree of seriousness.
These includes among others; promptly and timely feedback to his office of treated alerts triggered by the system, professional conduct in the discharge of assigned responsibilities and maintaining discipline at all levels, border security and blockage of all illegal route, joint operations with all the complimentary team at the command.
He re-iterated that recalcitrant officers who were adamant to corrective measures must be identified and punish accordingly, while deserving and hardworking officers who excelled in their assigned task would be rewarded.
He further advised all Unit heads to ensure adequate supervision of their subordinates in order to facilitate legitimate trade across the frontier while keeping a healthy relationship with the critical stakeholders.
In another development , the Customs Area Controller while congratulating and decorating the recently promoted junior officers, he charged them to live up to the responsibility of the new rank bestowed on them, adding that, “to whom much is given , much is expected” .
He also charged the officers not to take the magnanimity of the CGC for granted, hence the need for renewed commitment and dedication by all officers concerned.
The Command helmsman stated that he would also continue to identify and reward hardworking officers in-line with the vision of the CGC, by awarding the best performing officer to deserving officers and men whenever they stand out in performing their statutory obligations with due diligence devoid of any infraction.
While handing over three (3) illegal immigrants to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in the spirit of inter-agency co-operation for further investigation and prosecution, the Controller noted that the alertness of his officers and men in patrolling the land border had led to the arrest through the waterways.
He further stated that the Nigeria Customs Service was always prepared to secure the land border by protecting the territorial integrity of the nation through the waterways.
He re-emphasized that the doggedness of officers and men of the Command in safeguarding the border was manifesting in many areas of the anti-smuggling operations citing one of the feat among others to be the arrest and transfer of two (2) suspects, Mr. Joachim Iheagwu and Mr. Chukwunonye Onu and an exhibit of Eighty Million, Eight hundred and Forty-Five Thousand (80,845,000) CFA that had been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, Lagos office on the 31st January, 2017 for further action.
Dimka therefore sounded a note of warning to those involved in illegal activities and cross border vices to stay away from Seme border or risk being arrested and prosecuted as they would not go undetected regardless of their antics.
He said, “Our resolve to sanitize Seme land border from all miscreants and unscrupulous element is paying off as we engage the stakeholders for mutual understanding through the platform of Customs Community Consultative Forum (CCCF) and the Joint Border Security Meeting (JBSM) on a monthly basis”.
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