We Track Movement of Smugglers To Reduce Risk — DC Garko
Okezie Nnadi
The Nigeria Customs Service Federal Operations Unit Zone A is taking advantage of 21st century technologies to curb smuggling with minimum risk.
It has also gained in terms of revenue generated through mouthwatering seizures.
The FOU has also recorded some casualties trying to stop Daredevil smugglers.
However, the FOU zone A according to Dc Ali Garko who represented the Comptroller, DC Hussein Jibuno in a training organised by the Powerful Pen Media Chapel said, the FOU is doing a lot to reduce the risk involved in trying to curb smuggling by tracking Smugglers to where there is minimum risk. ” It’s better to track, isolate and go in at a time when there would be minimum risk, that is the preoccupation of the Customs intelligence Unit and they do their best to back out operations with credible intelligence.
Continuing, Garko said it is not enough to get information on smugglers, you have to also assess the strength of the smugglers you are after, what they are carrying and how you would track and apprehend them, before going in.”
Confronted with complaints by Customs Agents on the way and manner containers are stopped after leaving the ports, DC Garko explains, “FOU is an intervention Unit, we conduct checks and patrol the borders, we compliment the Commands as an intervention Unit, same as the Taskforce. Customs act on the law of the land and whatever we do is with a glimpse of CEMA, he said.
Speaking further on the activities of the FOU ZONE A, DC Garko revealed that the FOU has hauled seizures of goods with DPV of over Seven billion Naira (7bn) between January and June 2022. “Seizures are tentative and we make seizures of goods that are under import procedure and absolute procedures.”
Continuing, he clarified that the FOU does is not in default of what Customs do at the Ports, they cannot see everything, so whatever slipped, we at FOU intercept.”
He commended MAJAN and the Powerful Pen Media Chapel for organising this wonderful event and hoped that this would be sustained.
Also speaking at capacity building programme, the NUJ Lagos chapter Chairman, Mr Adeleye Ajayi said capacity is key to Journalists’ development, according to him, with the latest technologies around, a journalist should be trained on accurate and prompt reporting. He praised TPPMC for this noble idea wished that they do more in this direction.
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