THE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has deployed a detachment of officers to Saki town in Oyo State to stop smugglers who have turned the border town to a trafficking hub.
The ICIR gathered from sources in the town that Customs officers have descended on parks and several roads linking the ancient town to Benin Republic where goods traffickers ply.
“It is very difficult for any vehicle in Saki to move goods to anywhere now. It’s no longer business as usual. Customs have been moblised from Abuja to the town and the borders. Motorists are no longer allowed to convey goods as you saw when you came for your investigation.
“In fact, I bought a bag of rice last week here in Saki to send to Ibadan. No driver agreed to accept it from me. The rice is still in my house as I speak with you. There is fear everywhere among the drivers in Saki. Things have really changed here. The Customs are also along the borders to make arrests. But I can’t confirm if people have been arrested along the borders,” said one of the sources.
In June, The ICIR exposed how artisans and professionals abandoned their jobs in the town and its environs for smuggling between Nigeria and Benin because of huge fortunes they made.
Prior to the investigation, the Nigeria Customs Service had only one post with about two officers along the Saki-Okerete border, and the officers often looked away as contrabandists conducted their trade. People engaging in the illicit business told The ICIR the officers were not after them but car smugglers.
The journey from Saki to Okerete by car is about six hours.
The route was one of the borders where the Nigeria Customs Service had banned the movement of goods in Nigeria.
However, the Nigeria Immigration Service opens the border to human movement (not goods, which only the Customs has the power over). Immigration officers of both countries collect bribes and allow people who do not have travel documents, including a national identity card of either nation to pass freely.
Hundreds of vehicles load from Saki to different routes linking the town to Benin daily. They do this gleefully in the presence of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) officers who turn a blind eye.
Scores of motorbikes are also involved in the business. Like their vehicle counterparts, they strapped their goods on purpose-built planks and rods, which enables them to convey large goods.
While most vehicles stop at Okerete, motorcycles drive into Benin Republic. The first major town in Benin is Kilibo, where many residents buy and sell at Okerete at the community’s Sunday Market.
Smugglers make between 60 and 100 per cent gross profit from the smuggled commodities, which include beverages, petrol, yam, processed cassava, beans, and onions.
The commodities are cheaper in Nigeria. Similarly, Nigerians import mainly rice from the Benin Republic, where it is sold at about half of its price in Nigeria.
In addition to smuggling, The ICIR investigation revealed deforestation on Nigeria’s land linking Benin. The report also noted the large population of Beninese in Saki town.
The ICIR had contacted the Nigeria Customs Service in June over the smuggling business. It’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, an Assistant Comptroller of Customs, confirmed that the border was closed to the movement of goods by the Federal Government.
Presented with the findings, Maiwada said that the service was doing its best.
“I can say without doubt that there is no Customs in the world that has ever brought smuggling to an end. Our role is to suppress smuggling to the barest minimum. This is evident in the interceptions we’ve had in Oyo, given the records available in the state,” he had said.
Following the devlopment, The ICIR contacted him again, on Friday, August 1, for reaction. He directed the reporter to the Customs spokesperson for the Oyo and Osun states Command, Abdulmalik Akintola.
Akintola acknowledged the latest development in Saki and along the borders.
“We are aware of that,” he said when informed of how Customs officers have stormed Saki and its environs to declare war on smuggling.
“Even before that, the command had organised a meeting to ensure that our men are on their toes to carry out their duties as expected of them,” he stated, adding that the Customs Area Comptroller rewarded outstanding officers in the command, which, according to him, motivated all staff to rev up their performance.
Asked if arrests had been made, he said he had not been around, but the command must have arrested smugglers in Saki and its environs.
Read the report HERE.
Smuggling hub: Saki-Benin border remains a thriving hotspot despite ban
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org