Custom vows to arrest, prosecute informants of smugglers
Segun Showunmi in Ibadan
Nigerian Custom Service, (NCS) Oyo/Osun Area Command has vowed to arrest and prosecute any individuals sabotaging efforts toward anti-smuggling activities, declaring that the long arm of law will certainly catch up with them if they failed to desist from such act.
Penpushing reports that the Custom maintained that it remained key in the sustenance of the nation’s economy, enforcement of government policies in the fight against smuggling of prohibited items to curtail the menace of insecurity in the nation.
The Comptroller, Adamu Abdulkadri while speaking with journalist on Thursday in Ibadan said “for those of you on the side of the smugglers revealing our movement and actions, thereby making our job difficult, we would tracked, arrest and prosecute you in accordance with section 77 of the Custom and Excise Management Act (CEMA) for signaling to smugglers.
Penpushing further reports that, he reiterated that the command shall equally sharpen its intelligence and enforcement capabilities to fight smuggling and enforce compliance with reference to extant laws guiding their procedure and rule of engagement.
“We have enhance anti smuggling strategies by taking the battle to the door step of the smugglers by launching “Operation Fish Out” while invoking section 147 and 151 of the CEMA Cap C45 LFN 2004 with the power to search premises for uncustomary goods and power to give reward to informants who gives genuine intelligence to help in improving the capabilities of the command anti smuggling duties.”
Penpushing also reports that the customs boss while showcasing some of the success recorded by the officers and men of the command in revenue generation and anti-smuggling duties in the month of January 2020 said that the command, between 19th of November 2020 and 31st of January 2021 made a series of detections and seizure such as 220 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit otherwise known as petrol, 20kg of cannabis sativa packed in a 20kg bag, and 3052 bags of foreign parboiled rice.
The comptroller said other seizure include: eight kegs of 25 liters of vegetable oil, 60 bales of second hand clothings, 246 pieces of used tyres, eight units of Toyota Camry, one used Toyota highlander, and 10 units of motorcycles used as mean of conveyance for smuggling of rice among others.
Penpushing reports that, Abdulkadiri acknowledged the contributions of other sister security agencies in the state such as the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Army, Department of State Security Service (DSS), and Oyo State “Operation Burst” to mention few.
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