General
Customs Area 1 Command Generates N57.4bn in Seven Months
By Bon Peters
Despite some daunting challenges, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Area 1 Command, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has improved its revenue for the first seven months of 2023 by N57.4 billion.
The Customs Area 1 Controller, Mr CD Wada, said this was higher than the N51.9 billion the agency raked in in the same period of last year by 10.6 per cent.
In a chat with journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday, he noted that apart from April, when the maritime sector experienced a global shipping downtime, which affected the revenue of the command’s records, every other month had surpassed its corresponding months of the year 2022.
According to him, the significant milestone was achieved in March, where N11.7 billion was achieved compared with N8.3 billion in March 2022.
Mr Wada, however, stressed that such “feat could not have been achieved without painstakingly engaging with our critical stakeholders through several forms of sensitization programs and other forms of training, particularly on issues of Non-conformity with statutory clearance procedures.”
The customs boss in Rivers State emphasized that the feedback the command got could be attributed to some of their successes, noting that the agency insisted that all unpaid assessments must be paid.
Speaking on intervention, in terms of additional value through interventions, the command generated N988.1 million in the period under review, adding that “these interventions were derived from Demand Notices (DN) issued to importers with infractions on their importation.”
In the aspect of anti-smuggling activities, Comptroller Wada also disclosed that the command had put more emphasis on the 100 per cent physical examination policy of the service, and as a result, some containers suspected to have falsely declared had been placed under detention, pending further investigation.
He advised intending smugglers to avoid Area 1 Command, threatening to seize their containers and have them arrested and prosecuted in a court of law.
Speaking further, he stated that within the period under review, the command had embarked on a working tour to Bayelsa and Ahoada out-stations to appraise the customs activities in those areas saying, “the visit to Bayelsa State also afforded us the opportunities to pay courtesy visits to the heads of other government security agencies.
“The purpose of this visit was to seek further collaboration and synergy with them to foster a better working relationship and to achieve national interest in line with the extant guidelines.”
He stated further that, “I am very optimistic that with the command’s strategy of maximizing the collection of customs duties, other levies, and payment of all unpaid assessments, the command will surpass the revenue collected in 2022.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it arrested 210 suspects for vandalism, fraud, and illegal mining in the last 18 months as part of its anti-vandalism drive.
The Ogun State Commandant, Mrs Remilekun Ekundayo, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, council in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Mrs Ekundayo said the command had also recovered over N23 million in fraud-related cases for victims and resolved more than 1,700 disputes through alternative dispute resolution mechanisms within the same period.
She added that the command has sustained intelligence-driven operations that have prevented several criminal activities and ensured the protection of pipelines, railway corridors, and power installations across the state.
While stressing that security remains a shared responsibility, Mrs Ekundayo called for stronger collaboration with the media to enhance public awareness and safety in the state.
According to her, the visit was aimed at strengthening cooperation between the corps and the media, describing journalists as critical partners in the state’s security architecture.
“In matters of security, your role becomes even more strategic and impactful,” she said.
“The NSCDC is statutorily empowered to protect critical national assets and infrastructure, prevent vandalism and economic sabotage, and support disaster management and emergency response,” she said.
In his remarks, the Ogun State Chairman of the NUJ, Mr Wale Olanrewaju, assured the commandant of the council’s support and continued partnership through accurate and prompt reporting of security issues.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mr Christopher Musa, says the capture of a key Malian town by rebels poses a threat to West Africa that requires foreign intervention to prevent the insurgency from spreading.
A series of coordinated attacks by militants in late April left Mali’s Defence Minister dead and forced Malian and Russian mercenary forces to withdraw from the northeastern stronghold of Kidal.
Mr Musa, a retired army general, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the international community must come together to deal with the insurgents before they wreak havoc on the region.
The deteriorating situation in Mali may trigger a wider regional crisis, the defence minister said.
His admittance comes as the border region of Nigeria, Benin and Niger on the southern edge of the Sahel region is becoming a new stronghold for jihadists, as militants turn forests and pastoral networks in West Africa into bases for recruitment and international attacks.
“If they allow them to get any foothold in Mali, completely, they are not stopping there,” he warned.
He called for a joint campaign style like that of the United States against the Islamic State in Syria as a way to root out terrorists in West Africa.
General Musa noted that the collapse of states across the region has been the main driver of arms proliferation, with coastal West African states, including Ghana and Togo, becoming increasingly vulnerable.
He cited the fall of former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 as a turning point that released vast stockpiles of weapons into circulation, a problem compounded by ongoing instability in Sudan.
The combined crises have created an open corridor across the Sahel, allowing small arms, light weapons and ammunition to flow largely unchecked.
He added that this has worsened due to weak border controls and the ease of movement across the region.
Attacks in Nigeria have also risen, with data from the website of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a conflict-monitoring group, affirming that the number of suicide bombings in Nigeria by March already matched the annual average over the past six years.
The Nigerian military has also been dealt a blow to its military bases and senior figures targeted. In April, Brigadier-General Oseni Omoh Braimah was killed when Islamist fighters attacked a base in Borno State.
The minister said disruptions linked to global conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, as well as the ongoing war in Iran, have made it harder to source weapons even when funding is available. To meet its defence goals, Nigeria is stepping up efforts to build domestic arms-manufacturing capacity.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A former Minister of Power in Nigeria, Mr Saleh Mamman, has been convicted by a Federal High Court in Abuja over his connection with a N33.8 billion fraud.
He was found guilty of a 12-count charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
While delivering his judgment on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho declared that the former government official is guilty of all the charges levied against him by the agency.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/273/2024, the EFCC informed the court that the convict, who served under the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari, conspired with ministry staff to divert about N22 billion meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.
He was removed from office by the late president in 2021 and arrested by the anti-money laundering organisation four months after. He was said to have used embezzled funds of up to N33.8 billion to acquire properties.
At the court today, the judge confirmed that Mr Mamman made a cash payment of $655,700 (equivalent to N200 million) for landed property in Abuja, without recourse to a financial institution.
He was also found guilty of criminal breach of trust in relation to funds released by the federal government for the Mambilla and Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant projects.
“The evidence of the prosecution is overwhelming against the scanty and almost absent defence of the defendant.
“The defendant did not offer any credible evidence to rebut the prosecution’s case,” Justice Omotosho held.
“Rather than creating a legacy to tackle the epileptic power supply in the country, the defendant was living large at the expense of ordinary citizens.
“Little wonder that Nigerians have remained in darkness till today,” the judge added.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism10 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking8 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn