By Adedapo Adesanya
The South-West Zone of the Nigeria Customs Service has expressed its resolve to deploy available technological devices to achieve efficient border control and tackle smuggling headlong to ensure improved national security through the borders.
The Assistant Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, South-West Zone, Mr Saidu Abba-Yusuf, stated this in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital during his appraisal visit to the Ogun II Command of the Zone where he charged officers on professionalism and against corruption.
“Efforts are ongoing to use technology to enhance our borders’ security and patrol. The CGC, Bashir Adeniyi, for the past year, has been very busy trying to coordinate. Apart from the border issue, even in the seaport – every one of our operations is being automated, likewise at the border station,” he said.
“You are quite aware that about last week or so, the CGC inspected an aircraft bought on behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service for patrol on the borders.
“We are all aware that the borders are porous, and the only way we can monitor those borders is by using modern technology, but before you use this modern technology, training and re-training have to be embarked on, which the service is actively doing. Acquiring that aircraft is part of the technology which the service has embarked on.
“I can tell anybody contemplating on bringing in arms or any illicit arms, ammunition and drugs into Nigeria should have a rethink because Nigeria Customs Service under the current leadership is very active and very effective in terms of intelligence gathering with other sister security agencies,” he added.
Speaking on the Command’s performance under Comptroller Olusola Alade, the ACG said, “We just reviewed the performance of the Command a couple of hours ago. So far, up to August, the Command has been able to generate over N20 billion billion, close to N21 billion.
“When you compare it to the corresponding period last year, we had about N14 billion. We are all aware of the economic situation in the country and the exchange rate and all that. Even with that, the Command has been able to perform wonderfully well,” the customs chief stated.
Mr Alade appealed for the provision of more accommodation for the officers in the Command, while also requesting that the Command’s clinic be equipped with the necessary items needed for medical services.