The Eastern Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has no sea-going vessel at the moment to tackle smuggling on the high sea.
The Area Controller, Comptroller Usman Bello, made the disclosure in a statement on Friday, a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
The controller, who paid a courtesy visit to the office of the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) commanding the Eastern Naval Command, Rear Adm. J.O. Oluwole, said that “hence, the assistance of the Navy to continue to assist the Customs’’.
He said that it was important for the Navy to continue to assist the Customs and therefore appealed to the FOC to assist the service in improving revenue generation considering the current slide in the oil sector.
Bello requested from the Navy a list of foreign vessels that entered Nigeria’s territorial waters periodically to check revenue leakages arising from some vessels granted temporary importation permit by the Customs Headquarters.
He said that essence of the visit was to further strengthen the already existing synergy and inter-agency cooperation between the two agencies.
Bello said that he came to congratulate the FOC on his new appointment and to wish him great success and achievements as he took
over the leadership of the Eastern Naval Command of the Navy.
He said he came to also thank the FOC and the officers and ratings of the naval command for the seizure of two boats of rice on the high sea between the border of Nigeria and Cameroon.
Bello also thanked the former FOC, Rear Adm. Atiku Abdulkadir, for the inter-agency collaboration and synergy during his tenure.
He urged the new FOC to sustain the inter-agency collaboration and synergy.
In his response, the FOC thanked the Customs Controller for finding time to pay the visit and assured the controller of his readiness to collaborate with the Customs Service.
The Naval boss promised technical assistance in maintenance of Customs boats
He also expressed the readiness to organise a training programme for Customs officers of the marine unit on sea operations.
The FOC said that the law which established the Navy clearly and explicitly spelt out that the Navy should provide assistance to the Customs Service.
He said that the Navy “is bound by the law to assist the Customs Service in arresting smugglers and other criminal elements operating in Nigerian waterways.’’
The visit of the Customs controller would continue with visits to Naval formations in Port Harcourt, Bayelsa, Delta and Akwa Ibom, which were within the jurisdiction of the Eastern Marine Command of the Customs Service.
NAN
