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.

The face of an impostor

The face of an arrested impostor!
This is the face of a suspected impostor in Lagos who allegedly defrauded a member of the public and is now standing trial at the Federal High Court, Lagos. Full story coming soon

Customs FOU arrrest, arraigns 62 suspected smugglers

Customs officers conducting journalists round contraband goods seized by officers and men of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Lagos.

Controller Tahir Musa explaining to newsmen how and why these contraband goods were detected and seized by his men at a briefing recently in Lagos.

Customs officers performing 100 per cent physical inspection on contraband goods in Lagos.

At a recent media briefing, Controller tahir Musa and his officers explaining to journalists hoe goods were under-declared, concealed and actually smuggled in contravention of the Nigerian laws.

Controller Tahir Musa answering questions from reporters about the contraband goods seized by his men last month in Lagos.

Customs FOU arrrest, arraigns 62 suspected smugglers
* 2 smugglers convicted
The Comptroller Tahir Musa-led Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, has arrested a total of 62 suspected smugglers between January and August this year.
All the 62 suspects have been arraigned before the Federal High Court, Lagos for various charges.

During the month of August, the FOU succeeded in arresting five suspected smugglers who are also facing trial at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

Addressing journalists on the breakthrough recorded by his men, Musa announced that a total of 198 seizures were made including general goods with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N189,322,487.00.

A total of 54 Tokunbo vehicles were also impounded for evasion of duty payment.Other items included on the seizure list are textiles, used tyres and second hand clothes, used frozen cookers and refrigeration sets, chickens/turkeys imported in violation of Nigerian laws, traveling bags and pirated compact disks (CDs).
These items have a DPV of N33,360,000.00 all totaling N222,682,407.00.In June, the FOU also arrested 11 suspects while also making 31 seizures with DPV of N82,372,430.00 and 18 vehicles with DPV of N30,240,000.00.

The seizure in June was particularly significant as 15,000 copies of pirated CDs were impounded by the Customs.
This followed the Master Class/Sensitization workshop on counterfeiting and piracy spearheaded by UBA Plc and held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Lagos.

A total of twelve suspects were arrested by the FOU last May during a blinding raid on smugglers operating in Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service.

In one fell swoop, the FOU seized a total of 7,000 cartons of frozen chickens and turkey imported illegally.Officials of the National Agency for Drugs Control and Administration (NAFDAC) were brought in to witness the destruction of the banned items.

The Federal High Court, Lagos has already sentenced two suspected smugglers to prison terms for violating the law.

Smugglers kill DCIC Abubakar Babale in Lagos

Smugglers kill DCIC Abubakar Babale in Lagos

The syndrome of job hazzard has claimed another victim as dare-devil smugglers gunned down and killed Deputy Chief Inspector of Customs Abubakar Babale along Seme axis in Lagos.

The dutiful and no nonsense officer was killed while on the trail of smmuglers.

Babale has since been buried according to Muslim rites