Following his transfer from Seme to the Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Customs Area Controller, CAC, Comptroller Dera Nnadi, spoke to Maritime Nigeria on his mission and exploits at the trans-border post in less than a year. When we asked him how he managed the Command and its peculiarities as it pertains to revenue, anti-smuggling and operational structures at Seme the CAC  responded thus:

“As you may be aware, the Seme  Area Command is located very strategically on the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor (ALCO) which connects Lagos-Cotonou-Lomé-Accra-Abidjan. With a population of over 350 million people, this corridor and indeed the Command accounts for about 70 per cent of the transit traffic in the ECOWAS sub-region”.

“The route is part of the Lagos-Kano-Jibiya (LAKAJI) corridor which extends from Lagos through Ogun, Oyo, Kwara, Niger, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa and Kastina states in Nigeria. The LAKAJI corridor compliments the trade route from Abidjan through Cotonou to Niamey and even to Libya and Egypt. The significance  of this corridor as an economic, cultural and political platform for regional integration of West Africa cannot be over emphasized”.

“When I assumed duty at Seme on January 23, 2023, I pledged to adopt new strategies to boost trade while enforcing the nation’s anti-smuggling laws along the Abidjan Lagos Corridor (ALCO) in line with the ECOWAS protocols on free movement of goods and persons. I also promised along with officers and men to encourage compliant traders along the corridor bearing in mind the challenges of the JBP as one that is still recovering from the effects of the border closure”.

Revenue

“The revenue target given to the Command for the year 2023 is One Billion Nine Hundred and Sixty Million Naira Only. As at the 8th of September, 2023 the Command had collected One Billion Nine Hundred and Four Million, Four Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Ninety Naira, Seventy Seven Kobo (N1,904,459, 390.77) only. This represents 97.2% of N1,960,000,000 allotted target for the year 2023”.

“In the corresponding period under review for year 2022, the revenue was Eight Hundred and Eighty Five Million, Five Hundred and Forty Three Thousand, Ninety Eight Naira Eleven Kobo (N885,543,098.11) The implication is that the Commands revenue profile witnessed a tremendous increase of N1, 018,916, 292. 33 (51.98%)”. This revenue profile was a result of painstaking efforts made by the leadership of the Command in partnership with our stakeholders to ensure compliance with our revenue generation agenda”.

Anti-Smuggling

“In the area of anti-smuggling operations, you are conversant with our past headline seizures (fake six million US dollars equivalent to two billion seven hundred million (N2.7 B) Naira). This is in addition to other notable seizures recorded between January and August 2023 such as:

Six Thousand Five Hundred and Sixty Nine (9500) 50kg bags of rice equivalent to sixteen (16) trailer loads of foreign parboiled rice with Duty Paid Value of N312, 242, 064.93k.

13, 835 x 30 liters Jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit equivalent to 415, 050 liters or 13 petroleum tankers with Duty Paid Value of 738,276, 461k. 15,389 of General Merchandise Goods. Hard Drugs and Narcotics:

41 parcels of Cannabis Sativa  4,900 Tablets 225mg of Tramadol Tamol-X

3,600 Tablets 225mg Tramadol Royal 225, 157 Tablets of Heineken Ecstacy,864 Packs of Cigarette.  In the same vein, Officers and Men of the Command acting on credible intelligence intercepted One Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty Four (1,364) 30 Liters Jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit equivalent to forty thousand eight hundred (40,800) litres over one Tanker Load and with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of (N24, 663, 355) only at the early hours of Friday 8th September, 2023 along the Badagry Coast

“The duty paid value for items seized for the period January to 8th Septmeber 2023 is One Billion, Eight Hundred and Twenty Seven Million, Three Hundred and Sixty Two Thousand, Six Hundred and Nineteen Niara (1, 827, 362, 619. 00)”

In addition to the above, in line with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) dictate of encouraging its personnel, the Officers and Men of the Command that were involved in the seizures of fake Six million USD ($6,000,000) currency, Fifteen (15) fake international passports and Ten (10) Driver’s license, and that of Donkey skins in January, 2023 have been commended by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, dsm, fnipr, psc (+).

Structures

“The fact that I am leaving Seme does not change anything, who knows, I could be back tomorrow if the Service deems it fit. So, If anybody thinks that because this troublesome Nnadi is going away and that they can have their way, well, they can try their luck, in their fool’s paradise”.

“It is not about me, it is about these our fine officers and men, it is about the structure we have in place, which has given these officers the enablement to monitor and strike, it is about our well-structured intelligence gathering system both by the headquarters and at the command level”.

“So, those thinking that by my leaving they can beat the system are mistaken, l inherited this structure and it will remain there after l move, l am the only one going away on transfer, our gallant and trusted officers are right here and nobody can try their resolve”

“The fact that the CGC is commending them specially tells us that they are not to be joked with, whoever tries them will meet their waterloo as evidenced by the various seizures we have showcased. As the human component of our anti-smuggling structure, these fine officers are highly motivated and they are capable of responding to any surprises, so wherever these unscrupulous traders are coming from, we will meet, challenge and stop them” Comptroller Dera Nnadi said.