Kolade tightens noose on economic saboteurs

BY GBOGBOWA GBOWA

In an unprecedented clamp down, Controller,  Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone C, Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Kayode Kolade has literally put undesirable elements intend on sabotaging the national economy out of business.

Between January 2023 when he assumed duty and February 2024, the Unit under Kolade’s watch realized a net recovery of about N6billion which comprise of receipts from seizures and their Duty Paid Value, DPV, issuance of Debit Notes, DN, proceeds from sales of dangerous and time bound items like petroleum products and perishable goods.

His scorecard of relentless seizures which cuts across essential economic items is believed to have driven a gaping hole in the wall chest of smugglers and all economic saboteurs, standing him out as one of the most dreaded anti-smuggling customs chief.

In 2023 alone, revenue recovery amounted to N152 million, through effective checkmating of the activities of fraudulent agents and importers at the seaports. Some of the items seized includes pangolin scales, foreign parboiled rice, cannabis sativa, otherwise known in local parlance as wee wee or Indian Hemp, unregistered and fake pharmaceutical products,  used vehicles, used tyres, used clothing and explosive raw materials, and others high profile imports without the required End User Certificates.

In his first three months, January 25 and March 25, in office as the Controller of the Unit, Kolade overran the smuggling underworld with the interception of contraband goods valued N2.8 billion. A total of 13 suspects in connection with the seized items were arrested. While the DPV of the goods intercepted was N2.7 billion, N61.4 million stood for DN.

In particular, the seizures included Indian hemp, rice, tramadol, unauthorized armoured cars and pangolin scales, believed to be the first largest seizure of the endangered species in the history of the unit and zone.

Also between July 25 and September 23, 2023, the Unit under Kolade’s watch dealt another blow on smugglers with the arrest of huge consignment of Indian Hemp and raw materials for production of explosive devices with a combined DPV of N1.6 billion. A total of nine suspects were also arrested.

Not long afterwards, the unit also intercepted nine sacks of 50kg each of explosive materials, said to consist of device cables and superpower chemicals.

The superpower 90 which was intercepted by the unit is designed for priming applications and as a column explosive in surface and underground mining and general blasting; imported without authorization.

A recipient of many awards in recognition of his outstanding achievements, Kolade a commendation letter for outstanding performance in anti-smuggling operations from the immediate past CGC, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) in 2017, whilst he served as Coordinator of the CGC Strike Force Zone ‘C’ Team.

He also holds the numerous Merit Awards as Best Enforcement Officer received from the local media.