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‘Okorocha is a curse’… Twitter reacts to the unveiling of Jacob Zuma statue in Owerri

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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‘Okorocha is a curse’… Twitter reacts to the unveiling of Jacob Zuma statue in Owerri

Nigerians have taken to the social media to criticise Rochas Okorocha, Governor of Imo State, over the unveiling of a statue of Jacob Zuma, President South Africa.

Zuma, who is not having the best of times in his political party, the African National Congress (ANC), back home over allegations of corruption and abuse of office, has been in Owerri, the Imo State capital, since Friday.

The unveiling ceremony was only one of the many honours conferred on Zuma by Okorocha and witnessed by Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria.

He was also given the Imo Merit Award, the highest award in the state, which is usually given to honour persons who have distinguished themselves in various fields of human endeavour.

A chieftaincy title, Ochiagha di oha mma of Igbo Land (meaning The People’s Warlord) was also conferred on Zuma, and a street was also named after him.

Twitter users who reacted to the development wondered what Zuma had done for Imo State or Nigeria to merit such honour.

Some noted that despite Nigeria’s role in ending apartheid regime in South Africa, Nigerians are still being killed in the country on a regular basis, and Zuma had done nothing to check the disturbing trend.

Here are some photos of the events and reactions from various Twitter users:

Oil search in the north mere wild goose chase, says Tam David-West

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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Oil search in the north mere wild goose chase, says Tam David-West

Nigeria should divert the huge amount of money being spent in search of crude oil in the North into the health and education sector because going ahead with the search is like a “wild goose chase”, says Tam David-West, former Minister of Petroleum and Energy.

David-West, who was also a Professor of Virology from the University of Ibadan, said that during his time as oil minister in 1984 to 1985, under Muhammadu Buhari, then a military Head of state, he commissioned numerous oil exploration exercises in Gaji Gana, Borno State, with no success.

In an interview with Punch, David-West added that if there were any chances of hitting crude oil in commercial quantity in the region, investors from developed countries would have sunk in money into the exploration process.

“Before I became minister of petroleum, a lot of money had been spent on the search for oil in the North and the search stopped,” David-West said.

“When I came, I called Aret Adams and told him that we should try again. He said a lot of money had been spent without getting even gas in that area. Adams was in charge of exploration at the time.

“I insisted that we try once more in 1984. I gave him six weeks to get me a rig. In four weeks, he got a rig for me and I bought it and took delivery of it at the Port Harcourt harbour.

“I took it to Gaji Gana to begin the search all over again. We started digging but we could not find anything.

“On my way to Maiduguri (in Borno State), I had an accident and almost died. I told Buhari what happened.

“Before we left Gaji Gana, someone wrote in the newspaper that oil had been discovered in the North. I told my personal assistant to counter the report that it was not true.

“I said it would be better to use the money to build schools and hospitals for our people instead of wasting that money.”

David-West said he was taken aback when Ibe Kachikwu, the current Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, “assured the North that by January, he would strike oil in the region.”

“This is the typical Nigerian factor. They have made this issue political,” he said.

According to David-West, during his time in charge of Nigeria’s oil sector, “I was shown two wells that were drilled but which were closed because they could not find oil there”.

“It was like a wild goose chase. The search for oil has been made political.

“On the French side of Chad there is oil so, they said there should be oil on the Nigerian side.

“I alerted the nation that foreign countries were not willing to go to the North and start looking for oil. If there was oil there, they would have rushed to the place.

“Some read conspiracy theory to it but I said I and Adams are from the Niger Delta and we made so much effort to find oil in the North.”

David-West added that assuming there are traces of crude in the Northern region, if it was not in commercial quantity, it would be a waste of time and resources going ahead with the exploration.

“Let us assume that there is oil there, is it in commercial quantity? If you say technically you have oil there, the only reason for anyone to go there and dig is if it is in commercial quantity, else, it is a waste of time and money,” he said.

“Some years ago, northern governors came together and said they would explore the possibility of getting oil in the North.

“ It was a good move to jointly look for oil there. I have the record. They thought NNPC was not serious enough about it.

“I wrote a three-page article titled, ‘Ankali, Ankali (be careful)’. I gave them the history of oil search in the Chad basin, the record of failures, how much was spent and how I bought a rig and took it there.

“I advised them to spend the money on education and health instead of spending it on the search.

“A professor from Maiduguri said I was wrong so they continued. I knew it was a chase that would not be fruitful.”

The recent search for crude oil has so far recorded huge losses in human and material resources.

In July, almost 50 members of the NNPC oil exploration team in the Lake Chad Basin were killed in an ambush by Boko Haram terrorists, while some of them were kidnapped.

Three of the abducted persons were shown in a propaganda video released by the terrorists days after the attack.

Following the incident, the NNPC suspended the search in the Lake Chad. However, in September, Maikanti Baru, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, announced the commencement of another search in Sokoto State.

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Without the PIB Diezani stole billions, with it she would have stolen trillions, says Tam David-West

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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Without the PIB Diezani stole billions, with it she would have stolen trillions, says Tam David-West

Tam David-West, a professor of virology and former Minister of Petroleum and Energy, says if Diezani Allison-Madueke, a former Petrleum Minister, could steal billions of naira from the oil sector without the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), she would have stolen trillions if the bill had been passed at the time.

David-West, who served as Petroleum Minister under Muhammadu Buhari’s military regime between 1984 and 1985, said the PIB may not be the all-round solution to the numerous challenges facing the Nigerian oil sector.

According to him, the bill PIB gives sweeping powers to the Minister of Petroleum Resources who, is also the chairman of the Board of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), as well as imposes more taxes on foreign companies, which would lead them to pull their investment from the country.

“The PIB will make foreign companies investment in oil business in Nigeria difficult,”David-West said in an interview with The Punch.

“The bill is meant to correct the oil industry but there are lots of taxes in it. It will not encourage what we call joint venture partnership.

“The taxes will chase investors away. They may not tell us the truth but the reality is that many oil companies are divesting from Nigeria secretly.

“They are taking their assets out of Nigeria without making a noise about it.

Before now, many oil companies objected to a lot of clauses in it (the Pib). They inject a lot of money into the industry, they pay royalty, they pay taxes and now you want to add more burden on them.

“The PIB has clauses that are burdensome. If you consider the politically unfavourable atmosphere in Nigeria, the electric car issue, alternative source of energy and so on, the future of oil business in Nigeria is in jeopardy.

“We will suffer more because we depend on oil. Nigeria depends only on oil. We only talk about diversification without acting on it.”

David-West expressed surprise at the numerous acts of corruption that was alleged to be carried out by Alison-Madueke during her time as oil minister, adding that with the PIB in place, it could have been worse.

“I know Dieziani very well. She was in Shell before; so I was surprised that she did what she did. How could she enrich herself so much?” he wondered.

“The PIB that was proposed was personalised. It gave the minister more power in the sector and she made sure it was so while she was there.

“If without the PIB, she made billions, with it, she would have stolen trillions.”

As at August this year, the EFCC said that a total of N47.2 Billion and $487.5 Million in cash and properties have been traced to Allison Madueke.

IPOB must be designated a terrorist organisation, Lai Mohammed urges Int’l community

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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IPOB must be designated a terrorist organisation, Lai Mohammed urges Int’l community

Lai Mohammed, Minister for Information and Culture, says the world must designate and treat the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation.

This was contained in an article he authoured which was publish by the Washington Times, a top US newspaper.

In the article, Mohammed listed a number of quoted that were allegedly made by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the IPOB, arguing that the comments, added to the fact that the group receives huge funding from all over the world, are enough proof to butress his facts.

Some of the alleged comments by Kanu include: “If they fail to give us Biafra, Somalia will look like a paradise compared to what will happen to that ‘zoo’ (Nigeria).

Others are: “I don’t want peaceful actualization (of Biafra)”; “We need guns and we need bullets”; “If they don’t (give us Biafra), they will die.”

Mohammed noted that “public announcement like these puts IPOB’s designation beyond doubt in most jurisdictions”.

“They are a terrorist organization, as ETA was in Spain, the Tamil Tigers was in Sri Lanka, and the PKK is in Turkey (all of whom are proscribed by the U.S. State Department).

“Whilst there is no internationally agreed definition of terrorism, many nations’ characterizations closely correlate. Basic to all of them is this: the calculated threat or use of violence to further a political, religious or ideological cause.”

“Currently, streams of cash come from across the globe to swell the organization’s stockpile of weapons. Yet funding of terrorism is illegal in international law.

“Only with the group’s correct categorization will our international partners be able to halt the financing — and with it, IPOB’s future.”

Mohammed however agrees that “the threat posed by the organization may be low” as the group only commands “little grass-root support in the South East (the region it calls Biafra).”

He noted that all the governors in the region, as well as traditinal and religious leaders, have collectively condemned IPOB’s calls for secession and restated their commitment to the “absolute integrity of Nigeria”.

“Violence, much less terrorism, never solves grievance,” Mohammed wrote further.

“And for that reason, the overwhelming majority of residents in the South-East reject IPOB. They know the ballot box offers the best mechanism for redress.”

The IPOB was first designated terrorists in September 15 by the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, albeit contrary to the terrorism Act.

President Muhammadu Buhari then signed an executive order proscribing the group before leaving for the 72nd United Nations General Assembly in the UK.

This was followed by a court order obtained from the Federal High Court, Abuja, following an exparte motion filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

The order held that the IPOB is now an unlawful organisation in Nigeria and participating in the group’s activities or funding it could attract a 20-year prison sentence.

The order was officially gazetted, fulfilling all the requirements of the law with regards to proscription of an organisation, all in less than one month.

Nevertheless, Russell Brooks, spokesman of the United States embassy in Nigeria, told the media that the US does not recognise the IPOB as a terrorist group, adding, however, that “the United States Government is strongly committed to Nigeria’s unity.”

Kachikwu: My memo to Buhari was misunderstood, Baru and I are working together

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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Kachikwu: My memo to Buhari was misunderstood, Baru and I are working together

Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, says his memo to President Muhammadu Buhari against Maikanti Baru, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, was largely misunderstood by the press.

Kachikwu explained that the issued he raised in the memo did not border on fraud or corruption but on issues of governance. He stressed that himself and Baru were working together.

Speaking in Owerri, the Imo State capital, at the end of a three-day Nigerian Content Workshop organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Kachikwu said Buhari has directed them to move forward and find amicable solutions to the little rift.

“The conversation has been largely misunderstood to bother on fraud. It was not on fraud, but on governance and suggestions on ways to go about it. I think a lot of people got it wrong,” Kachikwu said.

“People dwell much on issues of sensationalism and leave the main substance. The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, and I are working together as Mr. President had directed to move forward.

“Mr. President has urged the two of us to find ways of working together to remove doubt and rift.

“Mr. President is a decent man and what he wants to achieve in this country is to live a legacy for posterity. He is a sincere leader, so nobody should accuse him of engaging in fraud.”

Kachikwu’s memo to Buhari, in which he alleged acts of insubordination among others against Baru has generated heated controversy.

In the memo, Kachikwu claimed that Baru unilaterally made key appointments into important different departments of the NNPC without recourse to the Board of which he (Kachikwu) is the chairman.

Baru was also accused of approving contract awards without first running them through the board or the minister of State.

But the NNPC issued a counter statement denying all the allegations and insisting that Baru had complied with all laid down rules and regulations in all his dealings as the NNPC boss.

The statement explained that the NNPC act provides that only the approval of the minister, not the minister of state, should be obtained before award of contracts or any other important activity of the corporation.

Tackling corruption in Nigeria through whistle blowing

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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Tackling corruption in Nigeria through whistle blowing

By Chido Onumah

I crave your indulgence to preface this speech by reiterating what all of us already know: that corruption is the number one enemy of our country, and, therefore, the main reason Nigeria remains underdeveloped. It is generally agreed that corruption is the canker that is destroying the foundation of our society and that if no drastic measures are taken to deal with it, we would, very soon, have no country to speak of.

At the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing media and information literacy, training and advocacy, as well as promoting accountability and good governance, we have for long been deeply worried by the growing damaging effects of corruption in the country.

As a civil society organization, it is our belief that we can play a vital role in challenging the unremitting incidence of corruption in Nigeria. And we see in the whistle-blower policy of the federal government the opportunity to weigh in in a more significant way in our earnest desire for a corruption-free society. This was the thinking that went into the robust intervention we have tagged Corruption Anonymous (CORA), a project supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

Perhaps, not many of us realize that we have a constitutional duty to provide information or help law enforcement agencies in the discharge of their duties. The Nigerian Constitution enjoins every citizen in Section 24(d) to make positive and useful contribution to the advancement, progress and well-being of the community where he or she resides; and in Section 24(e) to render assistance to appropriate and lawful agencies in the maintenance of law and order.

AFRICMIL believes that government on its own cannot win the war against corruption without the input of the citizens. Corruption Anonymous is, therefore, focused on mobilizing citizens as the critical factor of success in the anti-corruption campaign through whistleblowing.

Corruption Anonymous seeks to do three basic things (1) to build confidence and support for the whistleblower initiative of the federal government; (2) advocate for proper implementation of the policy, and institutionalization of the guidelines; (3) reinforce the safety and protection of citizens who dare to blow the whistle on acts of corruption. But Corruption Anonymous will do more. Apart from serving as a platform for citizens to engage in whistleblowing and interrogating the workings of the whistle-blower policy, CORA would provide the tools for the media to enhance its investigative work.

To achieve its goal of popularizing whistleblowing and making Nigerians see the need to adopt it as a strategic tool for reducing corruption, AFRICMIL has lined up a series of activities some of which include the public launch of CORA, creating awareness through media and civil society engagements, stakeholders’ forum and periodic training for agencies of government, as well as a series of focused public education in cities across the six zones of the country.

So far for the whistleblower policy, it is safe to say it has been a success. Whistleblowing has added a fresh impetus to the anti-graft war. In less than a year of its inauguration, it has led to the recovery of staggering amounts of looted funds, thus proving to be an effective and reliable mechanism for combating the one singular vice that seems to have permanently arrested the development of Nigeria since independence.

As of June 2017, N11.6bn had been recovered and about N375.8m paid to 20 whistleblowers. Going by figures available to AFRICMIL courtesy of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), by June 5, 2017, total communications received by the Federal Ministry of Finance, which is the implementer of the policy, was 2,150. Of these, 128 came through the Ministry’s website that receives reports (www.whistle.finance.gov.org); 1,192 was through phone calls (08098067946); 540 through SMS and 290 by Email (whistle@finance.gov.ng).

Total number of tips received was 337, out of which 29 was classified and 308 unclassified. 53 of these tips came through phone calls, 105 through SMS, 120 through the website and 59 through Email. 205 tips from 205 agencies were classified as actionable. Within two months, by the middle of August, total communications received by the Ministry of Finance through the various channels rose from 2,150 to 5000, representing 43% increase, while actionable tips jumped from 205 to 365, representing 56.2% increase. More than half of the actionable tips received, according to the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, were from public servants.

But AFRICMIL believe a lot still needs to be done. In about nine months of its engagement with the whistleblower policy, it has noted three issues that should be of great concern to well-meaning citizens as they pose serious threat to the survival of whistleblowing in Nigeria.

One is the lack of awareness of the whistle-blower policy. Take a walk around town and ask Nigerians, chances are that nine out of ten would not have heard about the policy much less have any idea of how to submit tips. The second is the glaring absence of commitment to the safety and protection of whistleblowers. Unfortunately, as we have observed, public servants face one form of victimization or the other for disclosing wrongdoings in their various offices. And finally, the refusal, in most cases, of anti-corruption agencies to act diligently on reports made to them by whistleblowers. Most of those who are reported are often left to walk free and never invited for questioning, much less suspended from office as the public service rules recommend.

But for the role of AFRICMIL and that of other civil society groups and the media, an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ntia Thompson, who was unjustly sacked for reporting fraud in his department, would not have been reinstated. And when he was recalled, Thompson, who was head of Servicom, was redeployed to the library. Presently, Corruption Anonymous is engaging the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, whose office supervises the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, on the case of Mr. Murtala Ibrahim of the audit department of the bank who was sacked on May 8, 2017, for also blowing the whistle on fraud in the bank.

We can’t emphasize enough the fact that whistleblowing can only make the desired impact and survive if whistleblowers enjoy full protection from persecutions of any kind, and those against whom reports are made are punished for their crime. So, it is important, going forward, that the usual fear nursed by potential whistle-blowers that their safety may be compromised, or that they could be short-changed (where there is a recovery) and officials in the agency responsible for managing and implementing the policy may undermine the rules of the system, among other things, is addressed.

In conclusion, I wish to observe that the whistle-blower policy is one of the significant things that have happened to the fight against corruption in our country. We hope we can all lend it our maximum support and encourage our fellow citizens to blow the whistle to reduce corruption to its barest minimum in our country.

Onumah is coordinator, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy. He gave this speech at the unveiling of Corruption Anonymous (CORA), the civil society whistleblower support initiative, October 12, 2017.

IGP begs court to stop Senate from investigating him

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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IGP begs court to stop Senate from investigating him

Ibrahim Idris, the Inspector General of Police has approached an FCT High Court asking it to bar the Nigerian Senate from investigating him.

Bukola Saraki, the Senate President, had set up an ad-hoc committee to probe allegations of corruption and abuse of office made against Idris by Isah Misau, the senator representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District.

The committee is to be chaired by Francis Alimikhena, with members including Joshua Lidani, Binta Garba, Duro Faseyi, Nelson Effiong, Obinna Ogba, Abdul-Azeez Nyako and Suleiman Hunkuyi.

Misau, a retired police officer, had alleged that Idris rakes in N10 billion monthly (N120 billion annually) in illegal payments to provide police escorts to wealthy Nigerians as well as top companies in the country.

Idris was also accused of impregnating a serving police officer before hurriedly organising a secret wedding for her. Misau also accused Idris of appointing officers from his Nupe ethnic group as commanders to almost all the mobile police formations in the country.

But in the application file by Chris Ogolu, his legal counsel, Idris asked the court to restrain the senate committee “from inviting him, sitting, conducting any hearing on the allegation, discussing or making any report in respect of the planned investigation pending the determination of his suit”.

“The applicant (Idris) is a law-abiding citizen and has fundamental right to dignity of person under Section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) (as amended), and Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act,” Ogolu stated in the application.

“The applicant occupies a hallowed office as the Inspector-General of Police in Nigeria and is thus in charge of all police officers in Nigeria.

“One Senator Isa Misau, a member of the 2nd respondent (Senate), while raising a matter of urgent national importance, had sometime between September and October 2017, alleged that the applicant instituted roadblocks across Nigeria with the purpose of extorting money from unsuspecting motorists.

“The said Senator, while commenting on his motion, equally alleged that the applicant collects illegal fees by way of security protection given to corporate organisations, eminent citizens and oil companies running into billions of naira.

“The said Senator equally rained a personal attack on the person of the applicant that the applicant is having unwholesome relationship with the female officers in the force.

“Without the first respondent (Saraki), having regard to the relevant constitutional requirements in respect of the 2nd respondent’s role in investigations of allegations, he, in reaction to these frivolous allegations, quickly constituted a committee consisting members of the 2nd Respondent to look into the matter.”

“The act of the first respondent in constituting the committee is ultra vires, unconstitutional, null and void.

“The said committee so constituted is acting ultra vires, unconstitutional, null and void.”

This is coming a few days after the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice filed two separate court cases against Misau over his allegations against Idris.

Misau was also sued for forgery of vital documents which he presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2011 and 2015 general elections.

UCH resident doctors give 10-days ultimatum strike notice

YEKEEN Akinwale
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UCH resident doctors give 10-days ultimatum strike notice

Resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan have issued a 10-day strike notice to the hospital management.

This is coming barely a month after the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) suspended its nationwide strike.

Segun Olaopa, President of the UCH branch of NARD, who disclosed this development at a news briefing on Friday, noted that the association has held several meetings with the hospital management but they have not yielded any positive outcome.

“It has become imperative to draw the attention of the press to the brewing issues in UCH. These issues if not addressed, may impact negatively on the existing industrial harmony at the hospital,” Olaopa said.

“These issues include: non-payment of our September salary, 28 per cent shortfall in August salary, 2016 shortfalls of 11 months till date and work overload due to management’s refusal to employ new residents.

“Presently, the number of residents stands at 525; this has reduced to 454, as some of them have completed their residency. By this October, 40 among us will also finish the residency.

“The implication of this is that the remaining few residents are given work overload and this should not be; management should employ more residents to make the workload easy and to achieve maximum productivity.

“Resident doctors’ accommodations need to be rehabilitated. The conditions of those flats are nothing to write home about. We implore management to do the needful in order to avert another strike.”

Part of the outcome of the dialogue which led to the suspension of the nationwide strike by NARD was that the Federal Government would ensure immediate release of funds to pay the doctors’ backlog of salaries, but it appeared that has not been the case so far.

Let my mother rest in peace, Patience Jonathan tells Magu

YEKEEN Akinwale
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Let my mother rest in peace, Patience Jonathan tells Magu

Patience Jonathan, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan has asked  Ibrahim Magu, Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to allow the soul of her late mother  rest in peace.

This was contained in a statement by Belema Meshack-Hart, Chief Press Secretary to the former First Lady, in reaction to allegations by the EFCC that it traced N2.1 billion to Magel Resort Ltd, a hotel which was owned by her late mother, Charity Oba.

“The former first lady had no dealings with the hotel until the demise of her late mum after which the hotel was handed over to her with the presentation of the death certificate of her mum,” Meshack-Hart said in a statement.

“This can be confirmed by Zenith Bank. Mrs. Patience Jonathan does not own Magel Resort Ltd. neither did she open the hotels account with Zenith Bank. The late mother of the former first lady should be allowed to rest in peace.”

While also reacting to allegations by the EFCC that she used her foundation Aruera Reachout Foundation, to launder stolen money, Patience said her foundation treated over 700 children and adults with heart-related ailments at the tune of over N3.5 billion.

According to the statement, she said her foundation “is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation established in 2006” and had a medical unit which sponsored the treatment and surgery of children and some adults with heart conditions.

“Till date, over 700 children have benefited from the Aruera Reachout Foundation, this alone cost the foundation billions, it is not news that the logistics involved in the treatment of heart disease cost over N5 million per child,” Meshack-Hart stated.

“This demonstrates the caring and maternal nature of Nigeria’s former first lady. God has used her as an instrument to positively touch the lives of some of our nation’s sick children, to make them healthy and happy through the appropriate medical intervention.

“It is now strange and sad that the EFCC will allege that such foundation only existed to launder funds.

“The many sick children that would have died but now live a happy life will stand as testament against the baseless propaganda and shameless allegation of the EFCC.

“It is worthy of note that the foundation which is duly registered by the CAC is free to receive donations from reputable individuals and organisations for its projects just like any other NGO.”

Patience also rejected ownership of a $12 million Diamond Bank account which the EFCC allegedly traced to her.

“For avoidance of doubt Mrs. Patience Jonathan does not have $12,831,173 domiciled in Diamond Bank as alleged by the EFCC. Anyone with proof should provide evidence and take advantage of the whistle-blower policy,” the statement read.

Customs intercepts 27 ‘smuggled’ Toyota Hilux cars in Abuja

Kingsley OBIEJESI
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Customs intercepts 27 ‘smuggled’ Toyota Hilux cars in Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service says it has seized 27 Toyota Hilux vehicles from two open car stands in Abuja over suspicion that the cars were smuggled into the country.

Aminu Dangaladima, a Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, made this known during a press conference at the headquarters of the Service in Abuja.

Dangaladima said the operation was carried out by the NCS compliance team following credible intelligence report.

“On Wednesday 10th October 2017, based on credible intelligence, operatives of NCS Compliance Team went to two open car stands along Kubwa express-way in the Federal Capital Territory and evacuated 27 Toyota Hilux pick-up vehicles suspected to be smuggled into the Country,” Dangaladima said.

“These vehicles have estimated duty paid value (DPV) of over N432,000,000 million.

“We urge the owners of these vehicles to come forward with valid Customs clearance documents otherwise they will be liable to Seizure and subsequent Forfeiture to the Federal Government in-line with laws of the land.”

Dangaladima recalled that Hameed Ali, the Comptroller-General of Customs, had briefed the press about the interception of 18 exotic vehicles in Abuja, 13 of which were bullet proof.

“The Service under his (Ali’s) leadership will enforce the powers given in the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) effectively,” Dangaladima said.

“For the avoidance of doubt, what we are doing is in-line with the provisions of Sections 147 of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap 45, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 (power to search premises), Section 158 of CEMA, Cap 45 Laws of Federation of Nigeria (power to patrol freely).

“It must also be understood that being in possession of smuggled items is an offence under Section 3 of Customs and Excise (special penal and other provision) Act Cap 47 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004.”

With regards to the hundreds of pump action guns seized by the customs at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, Dangaladima said more progress is being recorded.

“More arrests have been made and the CGC will be on the entourage of Mr. President to Turkey for sideline bilateral meeting with the Turkish Customs Authority,” he said.

“This is with the aim to permanently deal and put an end to such deadly importation coming from Turkey.

“NCS under the on-going reforms has continued to improve in all aspects, especially in the areas of suppression of smuggling.

“The idea that one can comply with laws of other countries and contravene Nigerian Laws on arrival here can no longer be tolerated.

“NCS will continue to contribute its quota to National economic development and security.”

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