The importers and freight forwarders under the Save Nigeria pressure group in the ports have been told to take their complaint to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft bodies in the country, if their cause is genuine.
The Customs Area Controller, Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Comptroller Victor Dimka,  in a chat with Sunday Business, debunked claims of extortion and auctioning of containers by the group as false and baseless. “If there is anyone who is talking about extortion when he is faceless and we do not see him, I challenge him to carry his complaint to the Comptroller-General of Customs, EFCC and other anti-graft agencies in the country”.
He said, “We operate on information because no country has citizens where some would not compromise. That is why we carry out oversight functions of picking containers that people might have compromised. When we have vital information, we work on it immediately to protect the economic environment. For instance, the recent interception of arms and ammunition by customs in the ports. The reality is that smugglers do everything to sabotage the economic policies of this country. We do not just go about picking containers, if not, we would not have any space left for us to work. Some times, these containers do not even go through the normal process. The group that is accusing customs should come out and tell us if  the containers we bring into our office do not have contraband goods. Most importers and their agents indulge in false declaration of goods in order not to pay appropriate duties to government.
“Right now our officers are working on the documents arrested with 167 people we sent to various police cells and later arraigned in court. We are charging them on individual basis to know those who are culpable and those who are not. People should not begin to talk about things they do not know. I also urge the media to bring those behind the Save-Nigeria group for us to challenge ourselves. How is the extortion carried out? Who is extorting money? Why are they giving money if they do not have anything incriminating?
“Some of them are illiterates who talk about things they do not know. When we want to see that we take Nigeria to a level that would be envied by so many people outside, some individuals who are jobless would begin to make insinuations that are baseless. So far, we have convicted many people on criminality. FOU as a watchdog of the service is compelled to adopt responsible measures to combat cankerworms, which deny government legitimate revenue and also turn  the country into a dumping ground for illegal goods.
“It is the on-going responsibility of the unit to wage relentless war against fraudulent activities through enforcement. We device a 24-hour  monitoring and patrol of our ports and borders to ensure compliance by all stakeholders with the extant laws provided in CEMA. This is to ensure trade security and facilitation necessary to boost economic growth and development. For the half year 2011, a total of 1,585 seizures comprising textile materials, Indian hemp, frozen items, arms and ammunition, used tyres, clothes and other items with a Duty Paid Value of  over N1.5billion were made. No fewer than 259 suspects were arrested in connection with these seizures. Five are convicted while other cases are pending in court.
‘Our major constraint is the environmental challenge. The difficult terrain of the zone and constant hostility seen in the local communities we operate.
, the support needed from some local community leaders are not always there, the desperation of smugglers who are not ready to embrace legitimate trade often make the job very hazardous’, he maintained.