Corruption Allegations Against Customs Leadership Trigger Mass Seizures at Ports

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*More containers marked for seizure as strategic for image building

By Francis Ugwoke
Allegations of wrong doings, massive corruption brought against the leadership and some officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the ports and border stations have triggered off harvests of seizures in the system.

Among the seizures were those even made last year in what observers say is deliberate for image redemption for the leadership of the Service and others entrusted with varying responsibilities of import duty collections and anti-smuggling.

The League of Maritime Editors had In a Quarterly State of the Nation’s Review on the activities at the ports said that corruption in the ports system has assumed wider dimension instead of abating even with the self-acclaimed anti-corruption czar, Rtd Col Hammed Ali, being in charge of the Customs Service.

The Editors had specifically raised allegations of importers being
extorted to the marrow by members of the Strike Force and Federal Operations unit (FOU) in rounds of malpractices when the former had been cleared and authorised to take delivery of their goods.

The League, which comprises seasoned journalists who have contributed to the development of the maritime sector and the economy, among others accused members of the CG Strike Force of collecting N100,000 per 40 ft container to take care of either under-declaration, concealment or under-valuation and N1million for contraband containers not related to arms and ammunition.

Investigation by SHIPPING DAY Correspondent showed that since the report of the Quarterly State of the Nation’s Review at the Ports was published, the Commands and Units of the Customs appeared to have woken up from the slumber to enforce seizures upon seizures of all containers whose importers had erred against trade rules, even in minor infractions.

It was gathered that following the publication, the leadership of the various Command had decided to sacrifice importers whose containers would ordinarily have been released going by the ‘tradition’ in the system.

The latest development is coming after the Comptroller-General of the Service, Rtd Col. Hammed Ali accused officers of greed and corruption.

SHIPPING DAY investigation showed that this explains the mass announcement of seizures from Apapa and followed by the Tin Can Island ports.

The other reason, it was gathered, may not be unconnected with the idea to project the leadership of the Service and others as working hard which can only be demonstrated by the seizures, a development that is intended to make stakeholders disbelieve the allegations of corruption against the Service.

Soon after the report by the League, the Comptroller-General, Ali, had first boasted that he had come to stay in the Service even against the wishes of the stakeholders

Ali had during a lecture organised by the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Abuja, accused some customs officers of corruption and greed.

In what was a clear reaction to criticisms against him by the League for failing to address the issue of massive corruption and nepotism rocking the Service, he said, “Iam here to stay”.
He added, “When I assumed duty as Comptroller-General, there were some fears and some people were angry at my appointment. There were pressures and after one year, they discovered the old man is still there. Then, after three years, I am still around and it is now time for them to accept that I have come to stay to carry out certain reforms in the service”.
He opened up that some customs officers joined the Service for the purpose of enriching themselves with expensive cars and other properties against the interest of the country.
But in what appeared as a calculated move to prove the allegations against the Customs wrong, SHIPPING DAY was told that hundreds of containers have been marked down for seizure.

Last week, the Service announced seizure of 53 containers of tramadol which market value for each was put at N1.2bn

Perhaps, this explains why one of the importers had offered the Customs N150million for just a container which Ali said was rejected by officers.

Among the 53 containers of tramadol were 40 seized in Apapa and another 13 seized at Tin Can Island port.

The 53 containers of tramadol had a duty paid value (DPV) of about N11billion.

In the case of the 13 containers from Tin Can Island, our Correspondent noticed that two of the containers were actually seized in 2017.

One of the containers was handed over to NAFDAC on October 11, 20 , 2017 while the other was handed over to NDLEA on November 2, 2017.

The motive of bringing up this seizure, observers believe, may not unconnected with the idea of image building for the Service in the face of allegation of rising corruption in the ports.

Incidentally, some officers who were indicted over their roles in the seized containers have been arrested, with their identities under cover.

One of the officers, it was gathered, is said to have threatened to expose a lot of wrong doings in the ports involving other officers in the system if not left off the hook.

Such development, it was gathered, gives credence to the allegation that corruption in the ports is encouraged by officers and men of the Service at various units.

Part of the statement that triggered the seizures reads: “For over three and half years as Customs CG, sitting on several billions of naira as annual budget, Col. Ali has awarded contracts in contravention of the due process and in the absence of a constituted customs board and does not ever report to the Minister of Finance, who should be the supervisory minister. He singlehandedly awards contracts with President Buhari’s approval sometimes, as claimed. No Customs contract has ever been openly tendered for since Col. Ali assumed office, findings have shown. Can the CG provide details of the beneficiaries of the contracts?

“Findings have also revealed that the CG in a most corrupt fashion has usurped the powers of the Customs board in the conduct of examination and promotion of senior officers of NCS such that he singlehandedly promotes officers at his whims, thereby raising the question of how transparent he could be. It is the statutory duty of the customs board to conduct promotion test and ratify the promotion of senior officers-from one star, Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC) to the Comptroller cadre., while the customs management is empowered to only promote people from Customs Assistant cadre to the Inspector cadre. But the CG approves all promotion since assumption of office.

“The League of Maritime Editors wonder if the CG does not rather encourage corruption among officers and men of customs service when officers on transfer to other stations are denied transfer benefits such as transport fare and accommodations when the law provides 28 days accommodation payment pending when he or she gets accommodation. Also, against the law, officers are invited to sit for promotion exams without transport fares, accommodation and feeding allowance.

“Investigations show that goods on which import duties have been paid are intercepted on the roads by the officers of the Federal Operations Unit(FOU) and the CG’s Strike Force headed by his Principal Staff Officer(PSO). The only exemption is when the importer or his agent “settles” the officers.

“The CG’s Strike Force collects N100,000 per 40 feet container to cover for under-declaration, concealment while contraband containers pay as much as N1million before being allowed to exit both Lagos and Eastern ports. 20 feet containers pay N600,000. The PSO allegedly singlehandedly nominated members of the Strike Force and insists that the coordinator reports to him.

“The FOUs, it was gathered, have organized syndicates made up of clearing agents who collect money illegally on their behalf to avoid interception of containers. In Lagos, a leader of a leading freight forwarding group based in Lagos represents the FOU Zone ‘A’. Importers and agents drop between N100,000 and N150,000 with the syndicates for the FOUs.

“Also, the seeming high revenue generation by the service has been a ruse as there has been a drastic fall in inward cargo throughput coupled with the depreciation in the value of the Naira, presupposing that N1.01trillion generated in 2017 fiscal year and previous years’ figures loomed large because of the exchange rate difference and policy distortion.

“Although the vision of the CG through the task force is to stop the extortion of money, the outfit has compromised its objective as the CG relishes the distortion premised on huge returns to both personal and government coffers.

“On valuation, the service has also compromised itself as officers collect certain amount of money from importers, a development which promotes underpayment by importers and their freight forwarders, hence the seizure of most released goods from the ports. This creates rooms for extortions by both the FOU and the ‘Strike Force”.

“Our findings have also shown that the Benchmark policy on imported vehicles is rooted in corruption as customs officers toy with the intelligence of importers and their agents even as there is systemic corruption arising from wrong classification of import duty rates.

“Observing that the NCS is supposed to be facilitating trade as enunciated in the World Customs Organization(WCO) policy for customs administration globally, the League noted that the NCS has failed to deliver this value at the seaports with its adverse effect on Ease of Doing Business policy of the Federal Government.

“It is on record as recently corroborated by the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman that the NCS has refused to comply with the Ease of Doing Business policy in cargo delivery process.

“According to the League of Maritime Editors, investigations have equally shown that Customs authorities still allow prohibited export items such as thick wood and scrap metals for export in Apapa,Tin Can and Onne ports.
“Findings have also revealed that despite the Federal Government’s claims that it has stopped importation of foreign rice in to the country, foreign rice still flood the local markets because rice are now mainly being imported through containers via seaports, no longer land borders. They are declared as fishing nets, mosquito nets and building materials in collusion with the Strike Force and FOUs and are cleared unhindered at the seaports.

“Have Nigerians asked why there seem to an increase in importation of arms into the country in recent times? All sensitive positions in customs currently are manned by a section of the country, thereby raising the fear of gross incompetence or compromise at seaports, land borders and FOUs.

“It was gathered that the issue of closure of warehouses in the Lagos industrial areas of Ilupeju, Ijora, Amuwo-Odofin, Iganmu, among others, that drew the attention of Alhaji Ahmed Tinubu, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress(APC), who called on the attention of President Buhari was also as a result of the extortionist tendencies of the Customs officers”.

Reacting to the allegation on extortion of importers, the Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Mr Joseph Attah said the allegation raised by the League was a compound one.

Attah said what the Service wants was a specific case or evidence of wrong doing by any officer to be able to take action.

But he added that the Service will carry out investigation based on the allegations raised and bring erring officers to book.

On the allegation of the CG usurping the powers of the Board of Customs and single-handedly awarding contracts, the image maker said this was not true.

According to him, the CG only sought the approvals of the President on specific jobs because of the absence of Board, adding that this was no longer so.

The Public Relations Officer of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Ikeja, Mr Jerry Attah who reacted to the allegation of corruption against officers of the Unit claimed this was a fallacy.
Attah also claimed that this was mainly to dent the image of the Unit since the Unit has no room for compromise.