Compt Kola Oladeji: Bringing Down Smuggling Using Intelligence, Right Tools
One of the Controllers of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, that has fought smuggling to a stand still and could even arrest both human beings and cows at the same time in any border towns is Comptroller Kola Oladeji, current, Controller, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja.
By Ovie Edomi
In doing his job as CAC, Kastina command, some times he will see cows and carmels carrying goods from the Nigera end of the border and without any one guiding the animals before he could say Jack Robinson, they have entered Niger Republic. Somehow, Comptroller Oladeji could not bear it moreso when the animals were carrying prohibited items so he began to arrest the animals. At a point, some highly placed individuals reported him to former President Buhari for arresting their cows but he continued his anti-smuggling fight more vigorously.
Since then, wherever Comptroller Oladeji was posted, the thinking among smugglers is that if he could arrest animals then human beings who engage in smuggling will have no escape route in any command under his control. Hence when he resumed as the Controller, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, smugglers knew they were in for a tough time.
Two months after his resumption at FOU, Zone A Ikeja, smuggling activities on the South West axis have been on the decrease. Even those who bring in consignments in to the nation’s ports in the past who either fly some of such containers or divert them under the pretence that they are taking them to bonded terminals are now licking their wounds as all aspects of the customs operation are now being policed more than ever before by Oladeji’s men.
Similarly, smugglers involved in smuggling petroleum products are equally lamenting.The FOU zone A boss cited instances of seizures of illegal and dangerous goods in Lagos, Adamawa, Onne , Calabar, Ijebu Ode by the Customs Units and Commands as well as the interception of petroleum products by the Operations Whirlwind, set up to combat smuggling of fuel across the borders.
All of these happened because according to Comptroller Oladeji, “the right tools are now being used to fight smuggling activities in Nigeria. He listed some of the seizure made since the coming of Adewale Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General and attributed the achievements to boost in Intelligence gathering as well as increase in welfare of the officers and men of the Customs. A development which Comptroller Oladeji says has led to more dedication and commitment on the part of Customs Officers to their duties, in addition to shuning any form of compromise from importers. He gave an instance where his operatives rejected a bribe of N50 million offered to them by unscrupulous elements to prevent men of the Unit, from impounding some containers containing illegal goods.
Furthermore, Oladeji noted that with the increasing arrest and seizure of containers as well as raising of debit note, DN, for those believed to have engaged in under payments, the entire South West that is covered by the Zone, FOU zone A has surpassed the N5 trillion annual target and at the same time facilitated trade
As part of trade facilitation, the Controller nated that the FOU ‘A’ has seized not less than 16 containers in the last two months but emphasized that the zone does not stop consignments on the road unless they have Intelligence report that will warrant his operatives to stop such consignments. With respect to traders and travellers who get their goods seized on the road by men and Officers of the Customs, Comptroller Oladeji noted that when they arrest goods and there are evidence that such goods are bought in Nigeria markets, such goods or products are released to the traders provided the goods are not prohibited items. He equally noted that Officers have been told not to kill because of a bag of rice or two as such do not worth a life of an individual. Consequently,he urged officers to be professional, polite and humane in their dealings with importers and the general public while on duty .
Responding to the impressive report of the FOU Zone A Controller, the President of the League of Maritime Editors, High Chief Timothy Okorocha, who along with other members of the League paid the Controller a courtesy visit at his office , in Ikeja, noted that as members of the Journalism profession, who have individually been in practice for not less than 25 years, members will continue to remain the watchdogs of the society and report event objectively without any ill feelings against any Officers of the command. He however commended the Controller on the seizures he has made within two months that he assumed office and noted that importers who like to bend the rules as well as smugglers will run away from the area under the control of Oladeji as controller because it can never be business as usual.
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