No fewer than six suspected smugglers who were dragged to court by the Seme border command of the Nigeria Customs Service have been convicted by the court, just as the command’s Area Controller, Alhaji Ali Wakili vows that there is no going back on its recent declaration of war on smugglers.
Wakili who debunked claims that it is often difficult for Customs to secure conviction of smugglers declared that apart from the six, 10 others suspected smugglers are also currently been tried for smuggling-related offences at different courts.
Shipping Position Weekly confirmed the identities of those already convicted as: Ishaya Maidawa, Azeez Kolawole, Umar Alkali, Usman Musa, W.S Bot and Tajudeen Salako.
He expressed optimism that the judiciary will continue to live up to expectations in the trial of people who are arrested in connection with smuggling activities.
Wakili who commended most members of the border community for being law abiding however said that there are still some who chose to be unruly, citing the recent face-off between his officers and some No fewer than six
suspected smugglers who were dragged to court by the Seme border command of the Nigeria Customs Service have been convicted by the court, just as the command’s Area Controller, Alhaji Ali Wakili vows that there is no going back on its recent declaration of war on smugglers.
Wakili who debunked claims that it is often difficult for Customs to secure conviction of smugglers declared that apart from the six, 10 others suspected smugglers are also currently been tried for smuggling-related offences at different courts.
Shipping Position Weekly confirmed the identities of those already convicted as: Ishaya Maidawa, Azeez Kolawole, Umar Alkali, Usman Musa, W.S Bot and Tajudeen Salako.
He expressed optimism that the judiciary will continue to live up to expectations in the trial of people who are arrested in connection with smuggling activities.
Wakili who commended most members of the border community for being law abiding however said that there are still some who chose to be unruly, citing the recent face-off between his officers and some hoodlums as one of those instances when the peaceful co-existence between the customs officers and the border community was threatened.
On the challenges of balancing the demands of his office and the responsibilities of his officers with the excesses of some undesirables within the border community, the Comptroller said that was what informed the recent town hall meeting which had in attendance, traditional rulers from the border axis and senior customs officers of Seme border command as well as other stakeholders.
“It was an agreement between us that we should hold the town hall meeting for us to be informed and educated about the fact that some of these things that they are doing are bad and that we will recourse to the law and that under the law, we can deal with them”, he explained.
According to him, the town hall meting is yielding good results as some of the people have started giving Customs information. He however added that some residents of the border are still recalcitrant in that they are still engaged in smuggling- related activities.
He acknowledged that some residents of border communities believe that smuggling is their birthright and are not ready to engage in any legitimate endeavours except smuggling and smuggling-related operations
“They are not ready to change their mind, so everyday, they device new tactics and we try to catch them, they try to be violent and unruly”, he pointed out even as he declared that his officers and men are equal to the task.
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