The Nigeria Customs Service has announced the promotion of eight officers who intercepted the first two consignments of arms illegally imported into country earlier this year from Turkey.
While the first consignment of arms intercepted along the Mile 2 axis in Lagos and seized by the Service contained 661 pump action rifles, the second one intercepted right inside the Tincan Island Container terminal (TICT), contained a total of 440 rifles.
Announcing the promotion on Thursday in Lagos, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.) said that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the promotion of the eight officers following recommendation by the Customs Management.
According to him,”As at today, after leaving here, I am sure that I am going to decorate some officers that successfully intercepted the first two containers. We have as a management agreed to come up with standard operational procedure that interception such as this that are very significant attracts beyond commendation, promotion.
“And what we have done, we have recommended eight officers in the interception of the first two containers to the presidency and the president has approved and by God’s grace, today, I will be putting the ranks on their shoulders after leaving this place”.
The CGC further disclosed that efforts were on by the Service to recommend those involved in the interception of the last two containers of arms to the president assuring that once he approves, theirs is to implement.
“So, these ones too, you can be rest assured that we are going to work on that and we will bring it to the president and once he approves, ours is to implement”, he assured.
He added that there were other rewards lined up for those that made interception of goods other than arms so as to encourage the officers to continue to do their duties.
It will be recalled that the Tincan Island command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted a total of 2,671 pump action rifles imported from Turkey in the last eight months in four batches of 661, 440, 1,100 and recently, 470.
Send your news, press releases/articles to augustinenwadinamuo@yahoo.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @reportersinfo and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526, 08053908817.
