Customs Area Controller, Seme Border Command, Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni flanked on his left by the Controller, Nigeria Immigration Service, Dr. Mike Dike and Director, National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC, Nurudeen Audu and the Director of the Department of State Service as well as other Customs officers of the command during the display of the fake dollar bills at the command, Thursday.

The Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has given details of how it smashed a criminal cross-border syndicate that specialises in International Passport racketeering on the West African coastal corridor. The command also impounded a total of $6million fake currency in $100 bill. This is coming only 13 days after the new Customs Area Controller CAC, Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni mounted the saddle at the command.

Briefing newsmen at the command Thursday, Comptroller Nnadi attributed the seizures to intelligence gathering and the commitment and patriotic zeal of the officers and men of the command.

According to him, while the $6million fake currency, equivalent of N2.73billion at the exchange rate of N460.50k, was seized on January 31, 2023 at the Gbaji checkpoint, a total of 16 international Passports and 10 International Driver’s License were impounded at the Gbetrome Base same day from two members of the syndicate, both of who have been arrested and are currently being interrogated.

He said: “Gentlemen, the significance of this is that we are dealing with a very dangerous syndicate that moves across the borders on the Nigeria-Abidjan trade corridor. Recall that there are six countries across this border comprising Nigeria, Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cot d’Ivoire and Senegal.

“It is my suspicion that this particular syndicate, being run by this lady, a supposed European citizen, will use each passport, move across one border and dispose the passport and international driver’s license off and continue to another country with a different identity, same face. We will get to unravel all these since we have already commenced investigations.”  

It was gathered that the two suspects arrested in connection with fake dollar bills, claimed they were working for a Chinese, identified simply as Master, who resides in Cotonou, the Republic of Benin.

The International Passports comprise of six of a female citizen of Malta Republic in Europe, some of which bear both her name and her passport photograph while some bear only her picture with different name as well as 10 International Driver’s licenses, some with her name others without her name.

The other 10 International Passports seized from the syndicate comprise three, which belong to a Togolese, four belong to a citizen of the, two belong to a Senegalese while one belongs to a citizen of Niger Republic and two suspects were also arrested in connection with the seizure.

The command within the 13-day period also seized 1,300 Jerry Cans (30litres), about 39,000litres of Premium Motor Spirit PMS, which were being smuggled out of the country through the creeks. There were also more than 150 other jerry cans of the product seized that morning and loaded on four Toyota Hilux vans belonging to the service.

Also seized were more than 200 bags of baking flour with label written in French, which according the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC was fake, since it was not registered with the agency and its label not written in English Language, which is the official language of communication in the country.

Other seized items include 55 sacks of donkey skins, with each containing 100 skins, an indication that the economic saboteurs must have slaughtered 550 donkeys in the country, which spells doom for the country’s wild life economy.

The command also seized several cartons of expired agro-allied chemicals for farming, some of had expired since 2015 as well as several others, which labels were written in French, which contravenes the nation’s import laws.

Comptroller Nnadi, who briefed newsmen in company with the Controller if Nigeria Immigration Service, Dr. Mike Dike, director of NAFDAC Dr. Nurudeen Audu and other commanders from the Directorate of State Service and his counterpart from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, warned that is was no longer business as usual for the smugglers.

He said: “You can agree with me that these milestone seizures so far, were not made on a platter of gold. It took the painstaking efforts of the officers who spend hours on patrol and surveillance to record the seizures. We wish to reiterate that we will not relent on this effort. The Command will continue to dialogue, engage, sensitise and educate the public on social/economic implications of smuggling as well as performing statutory function of enforcing compliance in line with government fiscal policies.

“Let me once more use this opportunity to appeal to parents and guardians residing in border communities to prevail on their children, wards and youths to desist from such criminal acts such as smuggling. During my courtesy visits to the traditional rulers in various communities in the Seme Badagry axis. I sought for their support in combating smuggling and urged them to educate their subjects on the menace of smuggling and the need to support security operatives in discharging their statutory duties.

“It is gratifying to note that we are all on the same page on the need to improve on our relationship with a view to maximising the opportunities offered by the proximity of the state to the borders and to develop trade in Lagos State. In all the traditional palaces visited, the challenges facing the border communities were enumerated to include lack of Federal presence in terms of infrastructure and developments, unemployment of the youths and we received requests for Nigeria Customs Service to specifically create quota for children of the border communities during its recruitment exercises to generate employment for their teeming youths. I have communicated their request and recommended same to the management of the Nigeria Customs Service.

While thanking the Comptroller General of the service, Col. Hameed Ali and his management team for the support, especially in terms of providing the needed tool for the job, he assured that the officers and man of the command would leave no stone unturned in justifying the confidence reposed on them.

 He also thanked the other sister agencies operating at the border, assuring that the currently existing robust inter-agency collaboration would blossom in the overall interest of the country and its citizens.