Customs Chief Hails Officers for Intercepting Contraband Goods

The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Western Marine Command (WMC), Comptroller Yusuf Umar has hailed some men and officers of the command for their gallantry which led to the interception of contraband being smuggled into Nigeria through the waterways.

Umar who was full of praises for the officers who were injured in an encounter with suspected smugglers at Bawe Creek near Badagry, Lagos promised to recommend them to Customs Headquarters, Abuja for promotion.

He also hailed the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) for its collaboration in ensuring the success of its surveillance and enforcement jobs.

The CAC, who gave a plaque to one of the officers for the courageous role he played in ensuring that the specialized wooden boat used by the smugglers was seized along with the content said the personnel displayed professionalism, patriotism and courage in the way and manner they responded to the attack of the smugglers.

He expressed delight that despite the injuries, affected officers responded to the attack without any causality on their part.

The affected officers who had injuries on various parts of their body are Senu Suru Mark, Razaq Mohammed Jamiu, and Musa Ibrahim Idris. They are all with the rank of Customs Assistant (CA 1).

While commending the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Inde Dikko Abdullahi and his management team for the motivation of men and officers of WMC through welfare and provision of modern equipment to perform its statutory roles and responsibilities, Umar vowed to track down the smugglers who allegedly injured his personnel.

Umar stated this at the headquarters of the WMC while conducting newsmen round the items seized from the smugglers, including the wooden boat they used for the operation.

The Customs chief explained that the smugglers bowed to the superior firepower of his men as they abandoned their weapons and fled the scene.

“The smugglers opened fire but the gallant officers were able to subdue them and they fled, leaving their machetes and guns. They did not want my officers to come back alive, but God intervened and the officers fought a good fight. We are ensuring that we track down the smugglers wherever they are and we will do so squarely because we are equal to the task”.

The wooden boat laden with about 2, 000 bags of rice were seized along with a locally made gun, one shot gun, four knives and a machete. Some seized expired drugs, condensed milk, and secondhand clothes were destroyed on the orders of the CAC.

He warned smugglers and criminals operating on the waterways to desist forthwith or face the wrath of men and officers of WMC.

He revealed that very soon WMC would deploy its seagoing boats, namely the Customs Pride and Group of Nine to boost its operations in the waterways.

According to the CAC, men and officers of WMC would be exposed to the various marine training courses to enable them to effectively operate the boats.