BY UDEME CLEMENT

Idiroko, the border between Nigeria and Benin Republic, has also been hit by massive seizures of rice carried out  there almost on daily basis.

The seizures displayed at the Command were over 15,790 bags of rice, equivalent to about 27 trailer trucks. Over 1,000 motor-cycles, popularly known as Okada, used to convey the prohibited items were impounded along the rice. The DPV of the rice was put at N94.740million. Besides the items at Idiroko border, rice seizures in different trucks were also seen at Abeokuta axis of the Command.

In the same vein, the Ogun Customs Command arrested three suspected fraudsters, said to have been faking Customs documents, thereby depriving government of huge revenue. The items found in their possession include fake Customs documents, desktop computers, printers, stamp-pad and typewriters.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Comptroller Haruna Mamudu, explained that the people within the border communities refused to see smuggling as a serious crime and economic sabotage to government’s effort to promote industrial development.

He said, “On assumption of duty at the Command, we embarked on a sensitisation tour to various communities where we met with the traditional rulers to educate them on the dangers of smuggling. During the tour, we appealed to them to call their subjects to order, to desist from illegal importation of prohibited items into the country through the border, but they are not cooperating enough. That is why we have huge seizures of rice coming into the Command, almost on daily basis.”

He added, “We uncovered a new trend of smuggling at Idiroko with the use of motor-cycles (Okada). The most telling issue in the border community now is the menace of motorcycle smugglers of rice. Within a short period, we have impounded over 1,000 motor-cycles used in smuggling rice through the border.

With the number of motor-cycles arrested, you can imagine what our operatives go through to apprehend one motor-cycle, because any mistake may result in casualty. We also recorded the arrest of fraudsters by SARS operatives, who handed over the culprits to us for further action.

“In exploring other areas from which more revenue could be harnessed, the Ogun/Guandong Free Trade Zone provided the platform. The Command is putting measures in place to provide the enabling business environment for enterprises to thrive in the zone. We recorded positive revenue collection from the zone and we are advising the border communities to invest in the zone rather than smuggling.

In anti-smuggling efforts in 2013, we recorded over 1,368 seizures with the DPV of N1.3 billion, as against 1,084 seizures with DPV of N694million made in 2012. This shows a progressive difference of 284 seizures with DPV of N619.8million. In January 2014 alone, the Command recorded 83 seizures with DPV of N37.5million, as against 71 seizures with DPV of N28.4million realised in the same period in 2013”.