Customs vows to go tough on smugglers, facilitate legal trade

The newly deployed Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kola Oladeji, has vowed to go tough on smugglers and facilitate legitimate trade across the Southwest region of the country.

Oladeji stated this after taking over from the outgoing CAC of the unit, Hussein Ejibunu at the headquarters in Lagos.
He said the unit must pursue its mandate of revenue generation, anti-smuggling and facilitating legitimate trade.

Meanwhile, Ejibunu chronicled the notable achievements and challenges of his tenure from September 10, 2021, to April 19, 2024, which include rigorous enforcement actions, significant revenue recovery, suppression of smuggling, and the tragic loss of dedicated officers in the line of duty, as well as enhanced trade facilitation by providing escorts for goods on fast track for compliant traders.

Ejibunu recorded a total of 3,189 seizures with a duty paid value of N35.9 billion and arrested 386 suspects in connection with some of the seizures with 22 people convicted for committing different Customs offences.

Significant among the seizures were 370 trailer loads of foreign parboiled rice, 33 tankers with over 1.1 million litres of premium motor spirit; 16,432.30kg of Indian hemp, 26,303 pieces of used pneumatic tyres, 11,175 Bales of used clothes, 751x 70mm of live cartridges and 12,912 cartons of foreign frozen poultry products.

In terms of revenue recovery, Ejibunu’s tenure saw the collection of over N2 billion from demand notices issued due to misclassifications and value transfers, underscoring a rigorous approach to customs enforcement and compliance.

Ejibunu highlighted the sacrifices made by the unit’s personnel, including eight officers who sustained injuries and five who lost their lives.

He extended his heartfelt condolences and underscored the bravery of these individuals in safeguarding the nation’s economic borders.

Ejibunu also emphasised the collaborative efforts with local communities and traditional rulers to alleviate hostilities and encourage compliance among border communities, which have seen a significant reduction in attacks on officers and have fostered a stronger alliance with community leaders.