Smuggling: We’ll deploy technologies to transport goods across borders – NCS
By Tom Okpe
As part of efforts to reduce smuggling across the Nigeria and Benin Republic Border, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Services, Bashiru Adeniyi, has disclosed that the agency would deploy Technologies, to transport goods to its expected destinations, safely.
Adeniyi, who was on a one day official visit to the Area II Ogun Command of Customs, while addressing journalists in Abeokuta, said the initiative would be piloted at the Seme-Krake border and, later replicated along other borders.
According to the report, monitored by the Daily Times in Abuja on Wednesday, the CG noted that a working relationship had been established by the NCS and its counterpart in the Republic of Benin, with an understanding of working together on issues, bordering on exchange of information and intelligence.
“We have a robust relationship with border countries. I have been to Republic of Benin to meet with my colleague over there, and since then, we have had opportunities to work together on a number of issues and they have always been forthcoming in providing the platform, we exchanged information and intelligence.
READ ALSO: MOWCA at 50: Steering West and Central Africa Toward a Unified Maritime Future — Dr. Paul Adalikwu
“What we are doing currently is to have a Joint Task Force for processing of goods that are coming in transit to Nigeria, so, we are deploying a technology to manage transporting between the two countries.
“We have already developed it, we are only piloting it now in Seme-Krake border and by the time we finish the piloting , once it is successful, we are going to deploy it along the borders, it will help us to reduce smuggling.”
CG Adeniyi equally informed that the agency is collaborating with other sister agency’s like the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, in clamping down on illicit drugs importation at the ports.
“One of my cardinal programmes anchored on collaboration. We can get a lot of things done when we collaborate with each other.
“We, conducted joint operations and this has led to the seizure of over 200 containers, we did not stop at seizing them, we also came together under the coordination of office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, to ensure destruction of those drugs, making sure, they do not get into wrong hands.
“I àlso, discovered that the more we work together, the more we get results. So, when Customs declare a state of emergency on airports against importation of illicit drugs into the country, what I did was to seek support of NAFDAC and NDLEA, and since then, we have seen that we receive regular information, briefing from them.
“This is the same template that we are using in our border communities. All our customs commands around the borders are encouraged to have structures with which they relate to members of the community, because, we operate there, live with them and acknowledged the fact that they know the terrains where we operate.
“We leverage on the intelligence they provide for us in our operations, so, I assure you that we have a structure of collaboration and we leverage on those structure to ensure that we work in tandem with the people,” he stressed.
