Customs Marine command intercepts 3000 bags of smuggled rice in Oron

Customs Marine command intercepts 3000 bags of smuggled rice in Oron

Efforts by the Federal Government to boost the market for production of rice locally received a boost recently as the Eastern Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) intercepted and seized two large wooden boats carrying over 3,000 bags of foreign rice and bales of second hand clothes at Oron in Akwa Ibom State.

This was contained in an electronic statement issued by Mr. Joseph Attah, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the NCS.

Coming on the heels of heightened anti-smuggling campaign on land and air against illegal importation of rice among others have forced illicit traders to use the waterways where they have incurred a colossal loss.

The officers and men of the Eastern Marine Command of NCS intercepted and seized two large wooden boats carrying over 3,000 bags of imported foreign rice and bales of second hand clothes at coastal town of Oron in Akwa-Ibom State.

The Comptroller of Customs in charge of the Eastern Marine Command, Abdulkareem Hussaini, while briefing journalists in Calabar, Cross River State, said it was a big mistake for the smugglers to think that the waterways are safer to carry out their illegal trade.

Hussaini assured that the capacity of his Command to deal with any act of smuggling through water has been boosted by the provision of Patrol boats and other working equipments by the Inde Dikko Abdullahi-led management of the Customs Service.

The Customs boss called on the members of the National Association of Rice Importers to go about their legal trade as the Service will not allow anybody to import rice into Nigeria without the mandatory payment of duty.

Hussaini stressed that every dutiable item that is smuggled into the country affects the funding of the Service the higher the revenue collected, the higher the amount that would accrue from the 7 per cent cost of collection.

The items seized were estimated to have a duty paid value of N25 million.

None of the smugglers was arrested made at the point of seizure as the occupants of the boats were said to have dived into the water on sighting Customs operatives.

Determined to discourage further violation of the nation’s economic regulations, the Comptroller-General of Customs was said to have directed a thorough investigation to fish out those behind the illicit trade and bring them to book.

Nigeria Customs elevates officers to Comptroller's rank
The Board of Nigeria Customs Service has elevated 46 Deputy Comptrollers of Customs to the rank of Comptrollers.
At a symbolic decoration ceremony that took place at the Abuja Headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Abuja, the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko Inde (MFR) charged the newly promoted officers to see their elevation as a call to higher duties.
He reminded them of the on going reform and the determination of the management to entrench best practices in the Service.
Responding on behalf of his colleagues, Comptroller Liman M.B. thanked the CGC and members of management for considering them worthy of being promoted.
Liman said himself and his colleagues are aware of the weight attached to their new rank in terms of responsibilities and promised not to disappoint the expectation of the management.The promotion was based on the followings criteria namely qualification, performance during the promotion examination, score of annual performance evaluation report, availability of vacancies and principle of Federal Character.
Among those promoted are Comptroller Hassan Mundu, M.B. Liman, Muhammed Biu, Vowa V.E, Ometan P.E., Ebri F.O., Sanusi A.U. and Abueh M.N. They last had their last promotion on or before 2006. Joseph Attah Deputy Public Relations Officer For: Comptroller-General of CustomsThe Names of other officers promoted to the rank of Comptroller are as follows:1. COMPT NWOSU, A. C2. COMPT ABDULLAHI, A. A3. COMPT AZAREMA, A4. COMPT SANUSI, A. U5. COMPT EDIKE, E.C.B6. COMPT SAMBO, T.J7. COMPT OGALU, D. O8. COMPT OKPE, S.O9. COMPT MOHAMMED, M. B10. COMPT MUNDU, H. M11. COMPT EBRI, F. O12. COMPT OMETAN, P.E13. COMPT VOWA, V.E14. COMPT EGBUDIN, W15. COMPT DAUDA, C. K16. COMPT MARCUS, F. A17. COMPT IROEMEH, C. C18. COMPT NZERIBE, U. N19. COMPT TUKUR, A.T20. COMPT NUHU, I. M21. COMPT GARKO, A.Y22. COMPT MAITAMA, K.I23. COMPT ATIKU, M.A24. COMPT DANGALADIMA, A.A25. COMPT AMBURSA, M.U26. COMPT BAWA, M.S27. COMPT ABAH, B.C28. COMPT AMADE, A29. COMPT ADESANYA, K.O30. COMPT SALIU, S.A31. COMPT ALU, S.R32. COMPT YAKUBU, M.M33. COMPT MOHAMMED, H (DR)34. COMPT KAYODE, G.B35. COMPT AWOFADEJU, D.A36. COMPT AREMU, T. O37. COMPT BAHAL, P.R38. COMPT JACK, Y. B39. COMPT ABUEH, M.N40. COMPT LIMAN, M.B41. COMPT AHMADU, A42. COMPT MAMMAN, B43. COMPT GUSAU, L.S44. COMPT MBAYA, K.W45. COMPT DAN-ALI, H.M46. COMPT AKIN M-TAIWO

Nigeria Customs elevates officers to Comptrollers rank

Nigeria Customs elevates officers to Comptrollers rank

The Board of Nigeria Customs Service has elevated 46 Deputy Comptrollers of Customs to the rank of Comptrollers.

This was contained in an electronic statement made available to Businessandmaritimesummit on Tuesday by Mr. Joseph Attah, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

At a symbolic decoration ceremony that took place at the Abuja Headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Abuja, the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko Inde (MFR) charged the newly promoted officers to see their elevation as a call to higher duties.

He reminded them of the on going reform and the determination of the management to entrench best practices in the Service.

Responding on behalf of his colleagues, Comptroller Liman M.B. thanked the CGC and members of management for considering them worthy of being promoted.

Liman said himself and his colleagues are aware of the weight attached to their new rank in terms of responsibilities and promised not to disappoint the expectation of the management.The promotion was based on the followings criteria namely qualification, performance during the promotion examination, score of annual performance evaluation report, availability of vacancies and principle of Federal Character.

Among those promoted are Comptroller Hassan Mundu, M.B. Liman, Muhammed Biu, Vowa V.E, Ometan P.E., Ebri F.O., Sanusi A.U. and Abueh M.N. They last had their last promotion on or before 2006.

The Names of other officers promoted to the rank of Comptroller are as follows:1.

COMPT NWOSU, A. C2. COMPT ABDULLAHI, A. A3. COMPT AZAREMA, A4. COMPT SANUSI, A. U5. COMPT EDIKE, E.C.B6. COMPT SAMBO, T.J7. COMPT OGALU, D. O8. COMPT OKPE, S.O9. COMPT MOHAMMED, M. B10. COMPT MUNDU, H. M11. COMPT EBRI, F. O12. COMPT OMETAN, P.E13. COMPT VOWA, V.E14. COMPT EGBUDIN, W15. COMPT DAUDA, C. K16. COMPT MARCUS, F. A17. COMPT IROEMEH, C. C18. COMPT NZERIBE, U. N19. COMPT TUKUR, A.T20. COMPT NUHU, I. M21. COMPT GARKO, A.Y22. COMPT MAITAMA, K.I23. COMPT ATIKU, M.A24. COMPT DANGALADIMA, A.A25. COMPT AMBURSA, M.U26. COMPT BAWA, M.S27. COMPT ABAH, B.C28. COMPT AMADE, A29. COMPT ADESANYA, K.O30. COMPT SALIU, S.A31. COMPT ALU, S.R32. COMPT YAKUBU, M.M33. COMPT MOHAMMED, H (DR)34. COMPT KAYODE, G.B35. COMPT AWOFADEJU, D.A36. COMPT AREMU, T. O37. COMPT BAHAL, P.R38. COMPT JACK, Y. B39. COMPT ABUEH, M.N40. COMPT LIMAN, M.B41. COMPT AHMADU, A42. COMPT MAMMAN, B43. COMPT GUSAU, L.S44. COMPT MBAYA, K.W45. COMPT DAN-ALI, H.M46. COMPT AKIN M-TAIWO

Nigeria Customs rewards diligence as four Comptrollers become ACGs

Tahir Musa, anti-smuggling czar, three others promoted ACGs
The prolific anti-smuggling czar, Alhaji Tahir Musa and three other officers have been elevated to the management rank of Assistant Comptroller-General by the Nigeria Customs Service.
His promotion to the rank of ACG was announced alongside those of David Agbaje, Sunny Okpurhe and Mainassah Jatau.
In an electronic statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Wale Adeniyi, the Comptroller-general of the Customs, Alhaji Inde Dikko Abdullahi has decorated the officers with their new ranks.
At the decoration ceremony for the promoted Officers, Comptroller-General of Customs, Dikko Abdullahi said the elevation of the Officers is sequel to the vacancies created by recent statutory retirement of Assistant Comptrollers-General.
He commended the performance of the promoted officers as Comptrollers and charged them to redouble their efforts in the new positions of higher responsibilities.
Former Comptroller Tahir Musa, now ACG (Enforcement and Drugs) joined the Customs as an Assistant Superintendent in 1982. He had served previously as Comptroller (Investigations) Headquarters, Area Controller, Seme Border and Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ Lagos.
Dr David Agbaje was until his appointment serving in the Excise Division. He joined the Service in 1982, and was at various times the Comptroller in-charge of International Customs and Area Comptroller in charge of Tin Can Island Port, Lagos. He is posted to the Human Resource Department as ACG (Staff College).
ACG Sunny Okpurhe, the new Coordinator for Zone ‘B’ joined the Customs in 1979 and has served in many Units like Customs Valuation, Customs Intelligence Unit and Federal Operations, his last posting before his elevation.
Dr Mainassah Jatau had served as Area Controller in FCT, Sokoto, and Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Commands.
At various times at the Customs Headquarters, he was the Special Assistant to Customs Sole Administrator and Comptroller in charge of International Customs.
Meanwhile, the Comptroller-General of Customs has expressed the gratitude of the Service to the Comptrollers recently retired by the Nigeria Customs Service Board.
He urged them to take their retirement in good faith. He also announced that in compliance with the directive of the Board, severance packages have been paid to the affected Officers, while promotion interview to fill the vacancies created by the retirement will be held soon.

FOU Customs nabs impersonator, 23 suspected smugglers

The suspect, Mr. Wasiu Ariyo (middle in handcuff) being paraded before journalists at a media briefing n Lagos

Customs arraigns impersonator, 23 smugglers in Federal High Court, Lagos
A middle aged man, Mr. Wasiu Ariyo, has been arrested by officers of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A and is now standing trial at the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly impersonation and defrauding a banker, one Mr. Azeem Abiodun Akinbiyi of large sums of money.

Ariyo, who was said to have falsely described himself as an Assistant Controller of Customs to unsuspecting members of the public, had earlier been paraded before newsmen at a briefing by Mr. Tahir Musa, Controller, FOU, Zone A, on June 4, this year.
Armed with the false claim, the suspect allegedly went to defraud Akinbiyi, a banker of number 28, Wharf Road, Apapa, Lagos.

He allegedly promised his victim that he could procure for him, a Toyota Camry car from the Nigeria Customs Service during the auction sales of seized cars at a sum of N400,000.
Luck however, ran out on Ariyo as he did not know that his victim had made discreet investigations that gave him up as a fraudster.

Ariyo was consequently arrested by Customs officials and charged to court where he was granted bail.

Apart from this development, three other suspects were arrested for smuggling around the same period during which goods with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N219 million including 56 Tokunbo vehicles were seized.

Aside these, cases of under-declaration, underpayment of duty, concealment of imported goods and outright forgery of import documents were unearthed.

During the period, FOU officials impounded a 40-feet container which was dubiously declared to contain 100 cartons of new television sets but was found to have carried 800 cartons by FOU officers who insisted on 100 per cent inspection.

Another container declared to be carrying other goods was found to have contained two KIA sportage vehicles in it while the FOU collected a whooping sum of N29.8 million as underpayment of duty in the month of May, 2009 alone.

Apart from the above, 20 suspected smugglers were arrested in connection with 9 seizures last September and charged to court.

Eight of them have been released on bail by the court.

As at the time of filling this report, 15 containers released from various sea ports in Nigeria containing various imported goods are undergoing investigation by men of the FOU, Lagos while 9 seizures were made between July and September, 2009.

The seizures had a DPV of N99.4 million while 24 smuggled vehicles also impounded by Customs also carried a DPV of N22 million.