Customs Area Controller, Seme Command, Comptroller Timi Bomodi fields questions from newsmen after inspection of the seized items.

In the midst of the worsening food crisis currently ravaging the country, the Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has seized a truck load of beans containing 400 bags with a duty paid value DPV ofN61.5million. The commodity was stockpiled in a warehouse at one of the exit corridors at the border waiting to be illegally exported to the neighbouring Republic of Benin.

This seizure is coming about two weeks after operatives of the service also intercepted over 21 truckloads of the commodity at different points along the northern borders to be illegally exported to Niger Republic and Chad.

Some of the seized beans packed in 100kg bags.

In terms of revenue, the Command was given a target of N7.875billion for the 2024 fiscal year, which represents an increase of over 400per cent compared to the 2023 target, which translates to a monthly collectible revenue of N656.258million.

Available records show that the command collected a total revenue of ₦1.2billion within the first two months of the year. Further details show that in January 2024, it collected ₦643.1million while N517.9million was collected in February. This represents 88per cent decline in the total expected revenue for the two months, which it attributed to the total aggregate decline in imports occasioned by the high exchange rate.

The command has also between January and February 2024, successfully made 168 interventions, leading to the seizure of three trailer loads of rice comprising 2,193 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, three tankers of Premium Motor Spirit PMS comprising 81,930 litres, nine units of vehicles, 1,425 General merchandise, 265 parcels of cannabis sativa and other narcotics, 149 pkg of codeine and two locally manufactured guns, among others. The seized items have a combined DPV of N365.9million

Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Timi Bomodi, who briefed newsmen at the command Tuesday, disclosed that intelligence gathered by the command showed that the illegal exporters of beans, who met a stiff resistance at the northern flanks, have decided to test the readiness of the Seme Borders, which was not listed among the 32 flash exit points where commodities are being taken illegally out of the country.

“Following the stiff resistance met by these beans smugglers around the land borders in the northern part of the country, we prepared ourselves, and sharpened our intel, knowing well that the next attempt might be through Seme Border and that is what you are seeing today.

“We want to assure them that we are fully prepared waiting for the next strategy they might adopt. We also wish to let them know that the Seme Border is not and cannot be the weakest link in the Nigeria Customs Service. We are also intensifying our already robust collaborations with sister agencies, especially in the area of gathering and sharing intel”, Bomodi assured.

According to him, the illegal export of beans contravened section 55 (1b) of the new Customs Act, adding that a total of 13 suspects have been arrested in connection with all these seizures. The details show that six of the suspects were granted administrative bail, three were handed over to National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA for further agency action, while one was handed over to the Nigerian Police, even as three suspects are still in Customs custody.

“At this point, it is important to highlight the importance of the Joint Security Meetings held regularly here at the Joint Border Post. These meetings provide valuable intelligence and opportunities to cross-fertilize ideas about border management. We note that collaboration holds the key to success in border management, that’s why we’ve insisted on information sharing among sister agencies.

“In the same vein, the continuous surveillance of the border by our officers and men has resulted in the interceptions of these products in the early hours of Saturday, 2nd March 2024 along the creeks. The PMS seized will be auctioned in line with the Standard Operating Procedure SOP of sale of seized perishable items as directed by the Service.

“These seizures come on the heels of successes in anti-smuggling activities recorded in 2023, which saw 513 seizures of foreign parboiled rice, premium motor spirit, vehicles, general merchandise, drugs/narcotics, and vegetable oil. Others were $6 million of fake currency, 15 fake international passports, 10 International Driver’s Licenses, and 152 live birds and other endangered species. All with a DPV of over N1.212billion.

“The Lagos-Abidjan corridor of which the Lagos Badagry Expressway is a major composite is a singular passageway accessible via multiple tributaries. Our creeks and the Atlantic traverse this single entry point. That is why collaboration with the Nigerian Navy is imperative and significant. The Nigerian Air Force and Army have provided critical support throughout this period.

“As the lead agency in border security and facilitators of international trade, we are constantly aware of the need to balance both responsibilities through the use of risk management tools at our disposal. We are also aware that those whose illicit businesses have been significantly hindered by our activities will spare no effort in devising new methods to counter us.

“Some of these efforts will include misinformation and disinformation. We would like to assure the public that we will continue to remain alive to our responsibilities and will not be deterred by naysayers or anyone intent upon casting aspersions on our officers, some of whom have paid the ultimate price for the service to their country. Others have been severely maimed and will bear the scars of their bravery to their graves.

“These are challenging times for the Nigeria Customs Service. As criminals get more desperate and daring, we at Seme/Krake Joint Border Post will ensure the sustainability of a more formidable defence”, he said emphatically.