Customs Western Marine lands 81 seizures 2020

Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Western Marine Command made a total of 81 seizures from January to December 2020, with Duty Paid Value (DPV) One Billion, One Hundred and Four Million, Six Hundred and Forty Seven Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy Naira (#1, 104,647,370.00) only.

Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Olugboyega Peters PSC+ Dss said the unprecedented seizures were made as a result of smart strategies put in place in terms of 24hour patrol, capacity building, surveillance and intelligence gathering, since assuming control of the command.

The statement signed by the Command Public Relations Officer, ASCI Isah Sulaiman said the it became necessary to re-jig the operational activities of the command with the sole aim of

blocking the porosity of the creeks in order to suppress smuggling activities along our territorial waters thereby achieving maximum and efficient operations.

It will be recalled that the Command had on the 24th April 2020 made a gigantic seizure of over 10tonnes of Cannabis  Sativa (Marijuana) valued at One Billion, Two Million, Fifty Thousand Naira (#1, 002,050,000.00), the biggest single seizure of Indian Hemp  in the history of Nigeria Customs Service.

Not only did the singular seizure receive national and international commendations, the

Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (retired) gave special commendation letters to Officers/Men involved in the seizure.

Also, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) recognised the Command and provided it with a Video Tele-Conferencing (VTC) Cisco WebEx equipment that will aid its operations in the maritime industry. The equipment is funded under the auspices of the Government of Denmark aimed at strengthening maritime law enforcement response to piracy and other maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea.

Peters said “These seizures are strong indication that the operatives of the Command are combat-ready in policing and enforcing the Federal Government Fiscal Policies despite the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.”

“Let me use this medium to appreciate the CGC and his management team for their motivation and support giving to the Officers/Men in the discharge of their statutory responsibilities. We assure them that the Officers/Men of WMC under the leadership of Comptroller Olugboyega Peters will perform their statutory responsibilities in line with the policy thrust of the present administration of zero tolerance to corruption and other vices.

This is even as he warned unscrupulous elements to toll the path of legitimate trade, noting “We want them to know that there is no hidden place for them and whatever their strategy, we will always be ahead of them.”