CAC, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’, Ikeja
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’ Ikeja, Lagos led by Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba cannot stop the unending onslaught against dubious Importers and Smugglers as he vow to frustrate all their illegal activities. Compt. Mohammed Garba,who by any matrix, can be called an anti-smuggling czar, has vowed not to relent in the national assignment of ridding the country of contraband items, describing smugglers as economic saboteurs who are bent on circumventing the law.
Interestingly, he has an unending catalogue of seizures and arrests made within his zone.He has always held on to the philosophy that you can never succeed as an anti-smuggling officer by mere saying smuggling is bad and Smugglers are dangerous to our national economic growth. You must try to show example by fighting it head-on and putting your life on the line to show that you can die for this course. This anti-smuggling czar whose antecedents are record breaking at Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja when it comes to customs operations wondered aloud that while a good number of well meaning Nigerians are appreciative of government efforts to rid the nation of corruption in all its ramifications, some smugglers are repentantly bent on circumventing the lofty mission for their selfish interest.
The FOU, Zone “A” roving crack team, which is now being headed by a seasoned anti- smuggle czar CSC Okpabi Charles Jack, a Chief Superintendent of Customs who is regarded in agents’ circle as a “mad dog” because of his insistence that the right thing must be done , has done a similar job when he was the officer in charge of Customs Patrol Team at Eleme- Akpajo axis, Port–Harcourt under FOU, Zone “C”, Owerri. Infact, when CSC. Jack Okpabi was at FOU Zone “C”, Eleme- Akpajo axis as Patrol head, Jack and his men put on tough look in dealing with the dubious agents and their importers ,a lot of seizures was made by his team then . So the Grassroots Publishers online are not surprise that since he mounted the saddle, the Benue -born senior officer has moved in full swing with his men to sanitise the sea ports,airport and land border stations under FOU, Zone “A”.
Three days after Okpabi Jack, a Chief Superintendent and officer in-charge of the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Roving team, Ikeja, was given an award and a” Certificate of Merit ”to authenticate it by Hammed Ali, a retired Colonel and Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, at the last International Customs Day Celebration at the Customs Training College, Gwagwalada, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, he led an operation that intercepted two executive Rolls Royce from a Lagos socialite currently being detained in the Command on the orders of the Comptroller, Mohammed Uba Garba over alleged underpayment.
As at the last count, there 31 such expensive vehicles parked at the Command premises , and the Customs warehouse, Ikeja. The Duty Paid Value , DPV, of the seized vehicles, according to Garba, was N1.43 billion. Given a breakdown of the seized vehicles, an elated Comptroller of FOU, Zone A, said, four were Rolls Royce, . he confirmed that seven were Mercedes Benz and four Toyota Corolla. Also, on the Command seized vehicles list were Two lexus Jeep and G Wagon each. This is in addition to one Porche Panamera, Jaguar, Bentley and Toyota Land Cruiser each.
The interception of the two executive Rolls Royce from the Lagos socialite in information acting on information was to prove to critics that he knows how to go about his enforcement job and that he hits at target without missing. Three days after invading the home of the Lagos socialite which resulted in the evacuation of the two executive Rolls Royce from the place, it was the turn of another Lagos socialite, one OluOkewo, a real Estate Valier , living in one of the posh homes, at Parkview estate, Ikoyi. Jack and his team were said to have evacuated some expensive vehicles including a Rolss Royce valued at about N2 billion.
It was learnt that the Customs award winner, described as a rugged and dogged officer by Colleagues had acted on information that the multi-million naira vehicles parked in the Lagos socialite home were brought into the country without payment of the appropriate Customs duty. Prior to the recent invasion of these Lagos socialite homes over alleged importation and use of assorted vehicles without payment of the appropriate duties, he had led the team to evacuate three Rose Royce vehicles from the home of three Lagos socialites in Ijebu ode, Ogun state and Lagos respectively. The cost of one of the vehicles was put at N180 million. while the least cost about N10 million.
Working on the instructions of Garba, the Comptroller, he had not spared the Car dealers who are feeling the heat .he was said to have led an operation that evacuated 37 assorted vehicles smuggled into the country through unapproved routes and parked at a location around the Badagry axis. The vehicles , according to the Comptroller had a Duty Paid Value of about N1.4 billion. This is in addition to the seizure 27 other vehicles smuggled through unapproved routes in Ogun. The 27 vehicles alone, according to a source had DPV of about N228.21 million.
He was said to have led an operation that evacuated 51 assorted vehicles including four bullet proof from a hidden warehouse in IKoyi, Lagos state worth billions of naira. There had been several other assorted vehicle seizures that had been linked to the Customs award winner and his men. One of such operations was the evacuation of 51 assorted vehicles from a hidden location in Omole Estate , Ikeja. The evacuation of the vehicles to the Command and parked at the Customs Training School,also at Ikeja, may have attracted the attention of Ali, the Comptroller General, to the school to see the seizures made by his boys at FOU, Zone A. The visit ,according to an insider was at the invitation of Garba, the Command Comptroller to sell Jack and his team to the Customs boss over their good deeds. The Comptroller General, may have left with the impression that Jack is a ”hard working enforcement officer who knows his onions.
FOU, Zone A, Customs boss defended the action of his officers involved in the raid. He alluded to the of the provisions of the Customs and Excise Management Act, Cap 45, which gave Customs personnel to” patrol freely” and make seizures suspected to have contravened the government fiscal policies. Given that the Command may not be hunting any person, the Customs boss was said to have appealed to the owners of the vehicles labeled seized in the Command to ”come forward with valid Customs clearance documents” to show proof of source of importation and duty payment to facilitate its release to them.He fears that some of the vehicles ”will be liable to outright seizure and subsequent forfeiture to the government in accordance with the Laws of the Country”. the Law had given the Customs the mandate to seize such seized items if within 30 days the owners could not come forward with valid Customs clearance documents to process the items for subsequent release to them.
Jack and his team have put fear on other Lagos socialites parking fleet of different models of exotic cars in their homes without payment of appropriate Customs duty as many of them had gone underground.infact most of the super rich in Lagos are keeping away from the weddings and clubs for fear that Jack and his men are trailing them. The situation is so bad that most of them were said to have put their homes under lock and key and relocated abroad to avoid running into Jack’s trouble.
A source confirmed to Grassroots Publishers online that there was hardly a week that the Jack-led team could not deposit five to ten intercepted Containers exited from the seaports or any of the terminals in Lagos at the road leading to the training School, waiting for the final directive from the Comptroller whether should be taken into the Warehouse for examination.The activities of the team, the source said had kept Garba, the Area Comptroller busier than ever as aggrieved Lagos Socialites or agents whose clients’ Containers had fallen into the waiting hand of the team had turned the Command to their office to find a way of reaching out to the Comptroller.
CSC. Jack Okpabi has done a similar job when he was the officer in charge of Customs Patrol Team at Eleme- Akpajo axis, Port–Harcourt under FOU, Zone “C”, Owerri.
Infact, when CSC. Jack Okpabi was at FOU Zone ‘C’, Eleme- Akpajo axis as Patrol head, Jack and his men put on tough look in dealing with the dubious agents and their
importers; a lot of seizures was made by his team then . So the Grassroots Publishers online are not surprise that since he mounted the saddle, the Benue -born senior officer has moved in full swing with his men to sanitise the sea ports, airport and land border stations under FOU, Zone “A”. This proactive team headed by CSC. Jack Okpabi has taken the battle to the smuggler’s den in its strive to clear the mess at the seaport, airport, Car mart and land border station.
In September last year alone, the Jack led team was said to have intercepted 14 Containers. The various Container interceptions and impounded vehicles by the Jack led team may have given the Comptroller the great joy to always address the media for much of last year over the Command’s Customized seizures. He will always begin his briefing : He had disclosed to the Media at the October briefing that the fourteen Container intercepted by the Command operational personnel for False Declaration and Customs breech of Law were promptly seized. the DPV of the 14 Containers loaded with various items was put at about N105 million. It was an inception and seizure too many.
Compt. Mohammed Garba has warn smugglers that his proactive roving teams are battle ready to cripple smugglers and getting them out of the illegitimate business, more importantly this new year 2018.
He advised smugglers to stay clear from his zone because his proactive team will never compromise with any dubious agent or smugglers.Presently, some dubious agents have resorted to blackmail against the officials of Zone ‘A’ and sending threat text messages to them for serving this nation. But amidst these challenges,He said his roving crack team is battle ready to fight Smugglers .
Source : Grassroots Publishers