The Katsina State Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday said it has in the last nine months arrested ten suspected smugglers in an effort to suppress smuggling in the state.

Most of the arrested smugglers are being prosecuted at the Katsina Federal High Court Division while others were granted administrative bail.

In addition, the Command has also generated the sum of nine hundred and thirty-five million, three hundred and six thousand, two hundred and seventy-five naira, thirty-nine kobo (N935,306,2 75.39) within the period under review.

The success which was recorded after the re-opening of another four land borders in the country by the Federal Government in April, last year, is far beyond the sixty million, eight hundred and forty-two thousand, seven hundred and eighty-seven kobo (N60,842,789.87) allocated revenue target for the Command in the year 2022.

The outgoing Comptroller in charge of the Command, DC Dalha Wada Chedi, disclosed this during the Command’s 2022 end-of-the-year thanksgiving which coincides with his send-off ceremony held t the Command Headquarters, Katsina.

The main purpose of the occasion, according to Chedi, is to intimate the gathering on the activities of the Command which bothers on successes recorded from January 1st, 2022 to January 31st, 2022, and to appreciate all stakeholders including heads of security and sister agencies as well as officers and men of the Command who have contributed greatly towards the successes achieved during the year under review.

“Moreover, in the Command’s quest to facilitate export trade, the Command recorded a Free-On-Board (FOB) value of N4,426,105,643.02= for non-oil commodities with metric Tons of 69,436.77 exported through Jibia Magama Border Station.

“Also, the Command’s efforts to suppress smuggling activities, the Command was able to record 379 Arrests.

“Out of the total number of 379 arrests, 258 were converted to seizures after thorough investigations with a Duty Paid Value =N=144,758,341.00 Kobo (One Hundred and Forty-One Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Forty-One Naira Only).

“The items seized include food items; foreign rice, foreign vegetable oil, foreign Spaghetti noodles, etc, and their various means of conveyance (cars, buses, trucks, and motorcycles), second-hand clothing among others.

“In light of the foregoing, all these successes could not have been achieved without the vigorous efforts and resilience of officers and men of the Command and other layers of Customs formations who have been giving the smugglers sleepless nights.

“The overwhelming support and cooperation of security agencies, other government agencies, and the border communities can also not be overlooked.

“Consequently, despite the overwhelming successes and achievements recorded in the year 2022, the Command regrettably lost two of its officers in the course of discharging their assigned duties.

“We pray God Almighty to grant their souls eternal rest and equally give their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

“Also, in the Command’s effort to improve the welfare of the officers, the Command requested from the NCS Headquarters management for more barrack accommodations to be provided, and it was approved. Some of the welfare packages include; 49 self-contain apartments which have been fully completed.

“16 self-contain apartments project which is still ongoing and other renovations being carried out in the Command, are some office blocks, CAC’s house and the
Officers Mess.

“However, a total of fifty-nine (59) projects were approved for the
Command so far. Thirty-six (36) had been completed, while twenty-three (23) are
ongoing.

“Additionally, 13 brand new operational vehicles, arms & ammunitions, uniforms & kits, and office stationeries were equally supplied to ease operations in
‘the Command.

“Also, during the year under review, the NCS Management promoted a total of 4,958 officers and men to the next rank which the Command greatly benefitted from. Hence, part of the activities lined up for today’s programme.

“Before the year under review, the Command had sour relationships with the border communities which greatly mitigated the Command’s operations.

“But the Command’s sensitization efforts were able to restore peace, cooperation, and mutual understanding between the Command, its officers, and men and the border communities through the established Customs Community Consultative Forum (CCCF) which has become an approved medium between the Customs and the border communities in resolving issues that bothers on the visions of the NCS.

“The Command is equally using this opportunity to appeal for sustainable cooperation and supports from the general public to help in the security of our Borders and facilitation of legitimate trans-border trade.

“The Command sincerely assures you all that your positive contributions to the successes and achievements the Command recorded during the year under review are highly noticed and appreciated and that is why one of the activities also lined up today is the presentation of awards in recognition to some of our royal fathers, stakeholders that had immensely contributed to peace, progress, and successes of the Command,” he added.

In the meantime, the Command has from the third week of December 2022 to date seized 24 assorted contrabands comprising vehicles and general goods with the total Duty Paid Value of ₦69,141,140.00

The Duty Paid Value of the vehicles is in the sum of ₦24,885,000.00 whereas that of the general goods stands at ₦44,256,140.00

The Command seized Wednesday’s occasion to present awards of recognition to some important residents of border communities as well as some patrol teams and units of the Command that have distinguished themselves in their respective areas of assigned duty.

Comrade Sirajo Aliyu Jibia of Jibia Border Community is among the residents who were presented with the award of recognition. And he described the award as unexpected.

Jibia while expressing gratitude to the Katsina Customs Area Command for the gesture, further assured to continue to cooperate with the Customs officers even as he described the outgoing comptroller as a hard-working person that Katsina ever had.

He, therefore, pledged to cooperate with the new Comptroller assuring to give him all the necessary assistance and support to carry out his assignment.

He, however, decried the activities of the border drill team which remain major challenges facing most exporters, particularly in the Jibia Border axis.

Before his deployment to Katsina State as New Customs Comptroller, Musa Nura, an indigene of Kebbi State, was in charge of the ICT Modernisation unit, Customs Headquarters, Abuja.