THE Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has generated the sum of N773, 168,246.03 as revenue in the month of February, 2017. The anti-smuggling operation of the Command also made 61 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N62, 611,168.00 for the period under review. There were five suspects and One conviction.
According to a statement signed over the weekend by the Commands Spokesman, Taupyen Selchang, the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Compt. Dimka and Victor David said that all hands must be on deck to realize a higher amount in the months ahead considering the fact that the last year target for the Command is being maintained.
He said with the upward reviewed values of imported goods to meet the current realities, the additional value should be able to cover the shortfall that is evident with the ban on importation of vehicles through the land borders.
While addressing his unit heads, Dimka enjoined them to add value in all the core functions of the service they are expected to execute. He outlined areas of commitment that are of utmost priority which he advice should be viewed with every degree of seriousness. These includes among others;-
Promptly and timely feedback to his office of treated alerts triggered by the system, professional conduct in the discharge of assigned responsibilities and maintaining discipline at all levels, border security and blockage of all illegal route, joint operations with all the complimentary team at the Command.
He re-iterated that recalcitrant officers who are adamant to corrective measures must be identified and punished accordingly, while deserving and hardworking officers who excel in their assigned task will be rewarded.
He further advised all Unit heads to ensure adequate supervision of their subordinates in order to facilitate legitimate trade across the frontier while keeping a healthy relationship with the critical stakeholders.
In the same vein, the Customs Area Controller while congratulating and decorating the recently promoted junior officers, charged them to live up to the responsibility of the new rank bestowed on them.
In a related development, while handing over three illegal immigrants to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in the spirit of inter-agency cooperation for further investigation and prosecution, the Controller noted that the alertness of his officers and men in patrolling the land border has led to such arrest via the waterways. He further stated that the Nigeria Customs Service is always prepared to secure the land border by protecting the territorial integrity of the nation through the water ways.
The Customs Area Controller sounded a word of warning to those involved in illegal activities and cross border vices to stay away from Seme border or risk being arrested and prosecuted as they will not go undetected regardless of their antics. He said our resolve to sanitize Seme land border from all miscreants and unscrupulous element is paying off as we engage the stakeholders for mutual understanding through the platform of Customs Community Consultative Forum (CCCF) and the Joint Border Security Meeting (JBSM) on a monthly basis.