By Udeme Clement

Ogun State Customs Command has a border with many entry and exist points, even as the people are very volatile, making it difficult to curb illegal trades. Since the beginning of the year, the unit witnessed rapid transformation with smuggling rate drastically reduced, making the command to realise N1.2 billion in just five months of operations and over 500 seizures of various items.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the zone, DC Oteri Richard, who was honoured recently by the Heads of Federal Establishments for his outstanding performance in the history of the command, speaks with Sunday Business, on the new strategies adopted by his team to police the border.

The Ogun State Command under your watch made an impressive performance even with a porous border, what measures did you put in place to check smuggling since you came on board?

The border has many entry and exit points making it difficult to police. Notwithstanding, we are achieving 90 per cent coverage of the command because we use our intelligent network in daily operations. Between January and May this year, we generated over N1.2 billion revenue and made 500 seizures within the period.

The people are extremely volatile because they see smuggling as an enterprising business due to years of association with the border community. Before now, border points were not clearly defined making it difficult to distinguish between Nigeria and Benin borders.

This is because there are some houses that are half way into Nigeria and half way into Benin. The people believe they are trading since they had engaged in smuggling for decades without thinking of the havoc it does to the nation’s economy through importation of substandard goods, fake drugs and unhealthy food items like chicken and turkey.

Deputy Comptroller Oteri Richard

What were the structures you met on ground when you took over the command?

The structures were weak, but the service provided logistics and vehicles, which enabled us to effectively cover the entire border points. The service from time to time send officers on manpower training to acquaint them with modern techniques of policing the border and facilitating trade in line with global trend.

What new trend of smuggling have you uncovered in the area?

We discovered smuggling with tipper and construction vehicles. We intercepted the vehicle through information during operations. We stopped the vehicle for a search, surprisingly the driver refused to stop. We chased and caught up with him, immediately the driver ran into the bush, leaving the vehicle behind. We found 42 bundles of textile materials.

We impounded the vehicle which is still in our custody as investigation continues. Also, we impounded a vehicle belonging to one of the big banks in the country. It is a spy vehicle used by banks to escort money. It is sometimes used by the driver for smuggled items. We used our intelligent network to uncover the crime.

The driver of the vehicle and his accomplice are still in our custody. We got the information and put our men at a strategic position to carry out a thorough search and it paid off, because we impounded the vehicle loaded with textile materials of various kinds. The investigation is still on-going.

We also had a situation where the tank area of a 504 car was converted as storage area for smuggled goods. The culprits also constructed additional local storage facility to the back of the car. Sometimes we face a situation where the host community would rise in defence of seizures that our officers impound. They would resist, but in such a situation we use skills to dislodge them.

What about your revenue profile in the first quarter o f 2011?

We realised over N730 million in the first quarter of 2011 as against the N559 million raked in the same period last year. Earlier, the command performed excise control over five factories in the state, but now a good number of infant factories had been discovered and brought under excise control.

For the first quarter of this year, 319 seizures with duty paid value (DPV) of N247,381,384 were made, compared to 59 seizures with DPV of N63,000,102 recorded in the period in 2010, showing an increase of 440 per cent. These seizures included vehicles, frozen poultry products, textile, rice, shoes and handbags.

The seizures recorded from February when I assumed office to end of March were 264 with DPV of N193,744,384.00, and when compared to 47 seizures with DPV of N57,421,622.00 recorded in 2010 represents an increase of 461 per cent.

You worked in the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Tincan Island and other commands, how would you bring your experience to bear in turning Ogun round for greater economic benefits?

Our agenda is to transform the command into an import friendly area where legitimate businesses thrive without hindrance to trade facilitation for optimum economic benefits. We want to change the perception of the people about the need to engage in legitimate trade and ensure sanity among traders at the border. We also want to increase revenue generation for economic growth.

How would you assess the performance of the current Comptroller- General?

The current CG of NCS has provided dynamic leadership through a beautiful blue-print that has transformed the service holistically in terms of outputs from the officers. The current management made provision for good salaries, incentives, accommodation for officers, logistics to enhance efficient performance by officers in various commands and good welfare package.

For instance, our command alone received 35 new hilux vehicles for border patrol. Also officers are sent on regular training and re-training programmes, even outside the country. I just returned from a seminar on utilisation of free trade zone in Dubai where I spent 10 days.

We have a free trade zone in Ogun Command that is new and still growing. So, I went to Dubai for a workshop on the real concept of a free trade zone and its contributions to economic development. Our scanning equipment is working very well. The CG has given us the work tools and conducive environment to enable us give in our best.

The reality is that customs is indeed reformed and we are trade facilitators working to enhance economic growth and development. Customs operations and procedures are people-friendly. Smugglers must be warned that Ogun command is no safe place for them .

We are determined to stamp out smuggling that is ravaging the area and affecting the economy. We are well empowered to do this.

Recently the Heads of Federal Establishments honoured you for outstanding performance in the history of the command, how would describe this?

To start with, I thank the Comptroller-General of Customs for giving me the opportunity to serve and I pledge tenacity for NCS in all ramifications. Also, I dedicate the award to my officers who worked as a team showing loyalty and commitment to their statutory duty.

The first three months in the zone gave us serious challenges due to opposition from smugglers, but with a lot of logistics and skill training we developed the capacity to meet our daily operations. I am warning smugglers to relocate from Ogun because we are battle-ready to stamp out illegal activities at the border.

Oteri joined NCS in 1982, worked in Tincan, FOU, CGC Taskforce, Port Harcourt, Murtala Muhammed International airports and other units. The first mandate to prove himself was when he was assigned to FOU where he served on special assignment and was found worthy for higher responsibility. He was drafted to Ogun to assist the unit turn-round the precarious situation in the command where he became the current CAC.