‘We’re Escalating Arms Trafficking Investigation, Overseas’- Says Adeniyi

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi has given indication that the present fight against gun running by his management transcend the nation’s immediate frontiers, saying the chase is enjoying international support and collaboration.

Adeniyi displaying a gun and branded ammunition during a media showcase of seizures, recently

This is even as he gave further indications that the effort is already yielding dividends as the investigation has led to the uncovering of foreign conspirators.

Adeniyi who was giving an update on investigations of the arrest of different caches of arms and ammunition by the service recently hinted that the NCS have tracked part of the syndicate overseas and already have the report of “those involved outside the shores of the country.”

Speaking through the Customs National Public Relations Officer, CSC Abdullahi Maiwada, the CGC clarified certain aspects of its activities involving recent seizures and his management’s resolve to go on the trail of the smugglers with the aim of bringing them to justice, said report of the investigation will soon be made public.

In an exclusive chat with our reporter, Maiwada said, “There’s due diligence in what we are doing, there’s sufficient progress in the investigation and its ongoing…about the immediate root causes of those involved in the smuggling of these arms into Nigeria.

“I wouldn’t want to release information on issues that are still being investigated but l can assure you that very soon, we will be addressing the press on developments, with reports of even those involved outside the shores of the country.”

He however explained the importance of robust collaboration with much that has so far achieved in the “ongoing investigation” to track undesirable elements involved in the apparent intractable gun running.

“Based on our network and relationship we have been able to do some tracking. The relevant agencies are working on that and we are up-to-date with what they are doing and l am sure that in the nearest future, the results of this investigation will be made public and those who are involved will be prosecuted”, he said.

He also attributed the success of the significant progress the NCS has made in curtailing fuel smuggling and its overall benefit on nation building to innovation, newer skills, strategic partnership and engagement.

“I, think what makes the operation a little different is one, it is a targeted operation on one item which is petroleum products that are being taken out of the country. It is an intelligence driven operation, you can’t go to any part of the country and see a checkpoint that is a checkpoint of Operation Whirlwind, l don’t think you have ever heard about that. So, it is intelligence driven.

“Number two, there’s another form of collaboration which has to do with NNDPR, we have brought them in, they supply the data to say “today we have supplies this local government with so, so, so number of tankers of fuel. Now, if operatives find a tanker with a waybill that should be heading to say, lbadan, heading to Zango Otta, then you’ll know there’s a clear case of diversion.

“So the data driven as well as the intelligence driven operations led to the massive seizures and reduction in the rate of fuel exported illegally outside Nigeria. Let me mention that this operation is also in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, so it is a collaboration of targeted operation with time limit. It is intelligence driven; it’s also a type of operation that is unique and different from other conventional operations that deal with other items.”

According to him, although the anti-petroleum special taskforce is in collaboration with the Office of the NSA, the CGC is directing and ensuring its overall success which he says has helped in stabilizing the imbalance in domestic demand through relevant engagements.

“Basically, those are the reasons behind the success of Operation Whirlwind.

Another angle to its success is bringing of stakeholders together to engage and interact. Last two weeks the CGC under the Office of the NSA gathered all stakeholders within the petroleum distribution and logistics value chain under one umbrella, including sister agencies and a declaration on how best they can also contribute their quota to the success of the monitoring and control system.

“One, NMDPR (Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority)  push products based on the needs of the communities, not based on the needs of smugglers; because if you know the population, invariably you also know their need. So, that clarion call has also helped in the success story of NCS involvement in the monitoring of petroleum products and is a major fillip to stabilizing the national economy.”

On the controversy that trailed the Service’s recent promotion examination regarding allegations of official compromises about leakages of question papers and alleged reports of the cancellation of the papers of certain category of officers said to between the rank of superintendent to chief superintendent of customs by the management, Maiwada urged for patience until investigation into the matter is concluded.

“The coming of this CGC has assured that issues of promotion examination and processes he met, that he will not only consolidate on their gains but that the sanctity and credibility of the process is not questioned. For the first time in the NCS, we wrote a promotion examination last year 2023 and the results were released same year.

“Now we had another exercise recently and people are insinuating and saying this and that. However this 2024 is not yet over, we just entered the last quarter, so if 2024 ends without the release of the result, then we can say there’s no consolidation on the previous gains before the CGC has promised that every promotion every year will begin and end within the same year; so there’s no cause for alarm.

“And if there are issues that warrants further security of the process to ensure its sanctity, to ensure the credibility of the process, the management of the NCS will look into and take a decision in the interest of the nation and the service and not in the interest of any individual”, adding:

“So the process is not yet concluded, it is not yet released so any insinuation at this point will be tantamount to interference in the process.”

Maiwada also identified certain factors as responsible for the significant improvements on the management of government warehouses; including improved audit and corporate governance system.

The Customs chief image maker explained that the CGC came with the mandate to decongest the port, and in doing so, logically carried out a comprehensive overhaul that is also manifest in the improved administration of storages and government warehouses.

“Number one, the CGC came with a mandate to decongest the port. Over the years there were containers hanging in the ports, occupying economic space for years and this translated into the creation of a committee which has other agencies of government represented on how to go about the decongestion of the port. Bear in mind that when you build more economic space the terminal operators will have enough space to stack more containers.

“That led to a proper deployment of the provision of the NCS Act on the disposal of seized and overtime goods. Secondly the service created a new platform for electronic auction which gave room for a kind of level playing ground for all Nigerians to participate in the auction provided they meet the requirements, which is that they must be Nigerians, show evidence of tax payments, have their TIN numbers and are eligible to partake.

“When we started, the demand was just FIRS (Federal Inland Revenue Service) number but later after a meeting with the Joint Tax Board, TIN numbers from states inland revenue services  was also activated to benefit from the e-auction. So, that also led to the overhaul of the administration of seized items and the warehouses which involved the process of examination, condemnation, lodging, photo evidence, display of goods for auction all contributed to the improvement of revenue generated from seized and over timed goods”, he added.