WE HAVE DEVISED A 24 HOUR MONITORING OF PORTS AND BORDERS, KANE

COMPTROLLER Emmanuel Kane is the Area Comptroller of Federal Operations Unit,FOU, Zone A, Ikeja in this encounter with CustomsWatch, he disclosed that the provision of 30 jeeps by Customs leadership, is a boost to the activities of his command. Kane also noted that the unit is working day and night  to prevent  illicit  trade. Excerpts:

How would you rate the anti smuggling war, would you say federal operations has done well in combating smuggling?
As you know, suppression of smuggling is a critical way of re-positioning Nigeria in terms of wealth creation and achieving economic prosperity. You also know that trade plays significant role in economic development.

However, some trade illicit when the operators subvert the legal process of selfish gains. Thus it becomes counter productive and all players are affected. Smuggling is detrimental to National growth and economic impact is very huge.

This is why Nigeria Custom Service in her statutory functions is fully and out to fight the evil of smuggling. Officers and men of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ are very determined to work 24/7 in line with the principles, visions and aspirations of the present management under the able  leadership of Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdulahi(OFR).

We are working day and night in order to prevent the grave consequences of illicit trade from rearing its ugly head. You will agree with me that it is expedient to explicitly condemn smuggling just as we equally condemn other societal evils. Thus in our quest for diligence in our obligatory functions, God Almighty empowered us to record the following achievement within the period of January-4th of November, 2010.  In our principle of responsible enforcement, the Unit devised a 24hr monitoring and patrol of our ports and borders to ensure compliance by all stakeholders in line with extant laws extant laws as provided in CEMA.

This resulted in our being able to haul a total of 2,015 seizures, comprising of vehicles and general goods made up of textile materials, used tiers, vegetable oil, rice, used clothes, used shoes, with total value NI, 149,406,022 and the Duty Paid Value of N1,396,493,189. There are other seizures which are yet to be properly examined and valued.

Also a total of 103 suspects were arrested within the period, most of whom has been release on bail, 9 suspects are currently in our cell. 4 cases have been successfully prosecuted in court and convictions secured while some are still pending in the law courts. Recently, the Comptroller General has given a boost,  about 30 patrol jeeps is being added to the flirt and to replace the ageing ones and is a tremendous improvement, everywhere has been sealed up and the result has being very spectacular.

How much lost revenue have been  uncovered so far through DN?
Federal Operation Unit is the watch dog of the service. It is the on going responsibility of the unit to wage relentless war activities through responsible enforcement. Accordingly, the federal operations unit framework for anti smuggling activities is designed to protect our economy and ensure rule of law.

However, a total of N243,043,774.04 was collected from underpayment and fees.  Primarily we are to ensure compliance and ensure that prohibited items do not come in, to ensure that offensive things do not come through un approved root or even approved root. it is understood that there may be one or two slips here and there and that is why we come into policing  both the border and including the port. so we are not giving any particular revenue target but is amazing how many hundreds of millions that we have been able to rake in by way of demand notices on where we saw that things were poorly done in the port. So I think we are just buying the existence of outfit, so it is a very huge underpayment that have being covered.

Still on smuggling, we witnessed the destruction of about one million carton of frozen foods the other time in your command, Is it not better auctioned as well?

No, we frozen those product, they are by the system policy prohibited. Primarily, I think it is so as to protect the local farmers, we have the farmlands, we have well with all, there are farms all over the country and I think if there is this unrestrained importation of those goods, then there is no way we can secure food autonomy, and with this power mandated on us to ensure that we intercept  those things and destroy them.

We destroy them because it is for the best way. We destroy them secondly because you can never tell the method of product for preservation of those things, they are more over use formal device which is chemical use to preserve dead bodies and you don’t allow your own citizens to invest in that type of things , it will run into problems of epidemics and so is proper to destroy them, bury them and to ensure that the citizen does not take such contaminated items so that is why we have to destroy them.

About the 13 containers of ammunition  that were intercepted recently, It was gathered that FOU played an important role to ensure the containers did not disappear. How true is it?

Yes in terms of arms coming into the country, arms are items that are exclusive , you have to meet the Inspector General of police and Government permit to pull any kind of arms which are list of prohibited absolutely prohibited items; and of course don’t forget that you do not know who is going to be a victim of the unrestrained arms and ammunition that came into the country, it could be my very self, my children or my relations, so we are mindful of that, we cannot allow it, I don’t see any well meaning Government, any citizen of this country would want to see the impact and allow it come true.

So it is our duty to ensure we impound, stop and arrest including whoever is behind it if not or in the course of our duty. And the 13 container thankfully God helped this country to ensure that we don’t fall into the wrong hands in this country. If something was currently faced with National security, then the comment on it would be left for the National security adviser duck Government level. But surprise to say that at the time the 13 container at the terminal was confirmed,

we never knew because they were not decleared  and with so, customs can not simply know if there were suspicions, if there were  reasonable suspicions, we would have broken into it and seized. But as long as it was public manifested and the intendant of the country and it was called building materials, there was no way anybody could by claim way-out or otherwise know that this was injurious items but I would want to say and put it on  record that customs did what was needful at that time.

A report came by way of writing which is part of the duty of FOU to escort containers from point to point and ensure that they are properly landed and certificate secured.

Such an application came for us to move those containers from Ferno terminal where it was cleared to Apapa port and recently we limited and ensure that due diligence and officers on the escort it back to Apapa and secure landing control and that was all we knew about it. If at that time we have heard an incline or information that these were injurious item, definitely we would have impounded it.

So until it became subject of further information available to agency that it became what it was, which off course right now is at the top level of government, they are looking into why and how but I think customs within my own is willing to keep peace in Nigeria, I did what was needful, i hope so, i did what was needful and that is all I can say.

Because the smugglers can never rest, what message do you have for them?
Yes because they are not resting, we are on employment by Government to ensure they don’t rest too, so we are going to pursue them to wherever they are going to, i am not afraid of them and every other officer that is so given the power that i have and the outreach of which i run then we will give them a chase, we will make uncomfortable, we seized whatever they are doing and get them to jail when we can, so that is what i will tell, i am not going to rest because that is what i earn my money for, i earn my money to prevent them from doing what they are doing, so am paid and am happy about my pay so I pursue them and officers that can’t do their job, we remove them.

I am sure the comptroller general will dismiss anybody and not only that, take them to court and jail officers in question that will not do what this country wants, so they better have a rethink and look at a better means of helping this country because this is only legacy we can leave for our children. I had the privilege of being trained in the United States of America but I didn’t stay back there, i came back because i love my country and am working so definitely , so they better change.