CHIGOZIE AMADI
Following the latest seizure of a container of arms and codeine by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Arewa Think Tank (ATT) said its recent commendation of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi of winning the war against smugglers had been justified.
The Chief Convener of Arewa Think Tank, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, had penultimate Thursday said the Customs boss should not be discouraged in the fight against smugglers to improve the federal government’s revenue base.
However, in a statement yesterday, Yakubu said: “We are delighted that Nigerian Customs intercepted a container of arms and codeine in Port Harcourt, Rivers State barely a week after ATT commended the Customs boss for a good work by ensuring that smugglers are defeated.
“The Nigerian Customs Services (NCS) intercepted a 40ft container filled with various types of arms and nine containers loaded with codeine at Onne Port, Rivers State. This is highly
commendable.
“We learnt that weapons and drugs were brought into the country from Turkey. They were concealed within shipments of fairly used clothes, a tactic often employed by smugglers to evade detection.
“The interception highlights the ongoing efforts of the NCS to combat illegal smuggling and ensure the security and well-being of the nation.
“In this regard, our commendation was not misplaced, it was in the right direction, and we will continue to support and commend progress reports of government officials under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration”.
“Once again we want to commend CG Adeniyi for introducing the Risk Management System which has made NCS to consistently stay ahead of such criminal activities.
“The intercepted container, we understand, also revealed 844 rifles and 112,500 pieces of live ammunition, including various types of pump-action and double-barrel rifles. We, therefore, thank CG Adeniyi for this great feat in fighting smugglers to ensure national progress.
“We also want to use this opportunity to commend the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu for ensuring the critical need for synergy among security agencies to combat interconnected issues like drug trafficking, arms smuggling, money laundering, and human trafficking in the country”. The statement said.
ATT had earlier noted that the newly formed tactical team, Operation Whirlwind, by the Customs CG, to combat the smuggling of petroleum products in particular to neighbouring countries was a huge success.
“ATT noticed that barely two weeks after NCS launched “Operation Whirlwind” a decisive onslaught against illegal trade of petroleum products across Nigeria’s borders, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Adewale Adeniyi, has started recording massive turnout in
curtailing the menace of PMS smuggling across the federation.
“The initiative has indeed reduced pressures that may be attributed to the activities of smugglers and dismantled their cartels within the ecosystem, and there is a relative stability of the price of PMS around the Border States which is easily attributed to disruptions in the operations of smugglers.
“We are commending the Comptroller-General of Customs for having the great zeal and the expectation to protect Nigeria’s economic interests with unwavering dedication and integrity.”
