The Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, emphasized the importance of heightened vigilance among personnel at the Ogun Area 1 and 2 Command. He urged them to prevent cross-border criminals from capitalizing on the current disturbances to smuggle supplies to the Niger Republic.
This directive came as Adeniyi expressed the NCS’s intention to propose “appropriate recommendations” for a reassessment of restrictions on petroleum products supplied to fuel stations in the vicinity of the Idiroko border.
During his inaugural visit to the Idiroko Border as part of his tour of NCS formations nationwide, the acting CG conveyed these messages while addressing the commands’ officers and staff.
Adeniyi emphasized the imperative for increased vigilance due to the presidential directives that led to the closure of Nigerian borders with the neighboring Niger Republic, a decision jointly agreed upon by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Stressing the dual responsibility of the NCS to enhance both national and regional security, Adeniyi revealed that the service under his leadership has implemented significant measures. As these measures come into effect, he anticipates that criminals operating across borders will seek to exploit vulnerabilities in less guarded areas for their smuggling activities into the country in question.
“The Idiroko Border is a very strategic Gateway into Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, and, by extension, the sub-region. So, we cannot afford to allow criminals, who perpetrate crimes across our borders, to do things that are inimical to our national security.
“I am here this morning to remind ourselves of our collective mandate to keep criminals from operating around our borders. Whether they come in the forms of smuggling, human or drug trafficking, or things that will affect our public health, we have a collective responsibility to confront them and beat them to their games.’’
