The Customs Area Controller of Apapa Port Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu has assured that the Command will continue to outsmart smugglers through the use of intelligence and uncompromising enforcement to stop prohibited items from finding their way into the country.
Olomu gave the assurance on Monday during a courtesy visit by Dr. Martin Iluyomade, Director of Inspection and Enforcement Directorate at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), who also doubles as Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Fake, Substandard Drugs and Unwholesome Food.
Speaking during the visit, Olomu disclosed that despite renewed antics by smugglers, including the use of fake registration numbers and false declarations, such attempts have consistently failed. He emphasized that the Command remains committed to the effective implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Comptroller-General of Customs and the Director-General of NAFDAC to curb smuggling of items under the agency’s regulatory control.
The Area Controller further urged NAFDAC to expedite action on the evacuation of containers handed over to the agency from the port, stressing that the Command would continue to sustain efforts in ensuring that suspects are arrested and handed over alongside seized items. According to him, arresting the culprits involved in smuggling remains critical to disrupting the human element driving the illegal supply chain and deterring others from engaging in such acts.
Olomu explained that officers under his watch have keyed into the Comptroller-General’s zero tolerance for smuggling and are determined to enforce the law to prevent any situation where the health and safety of Nigerians could be jeopardized by harmful imports such as unwholesome food, fake drugs, or illicit arms and ammunition.
He pointed to the recent seizure of 32 containers, which attracted the attention of the Comptroller-General of Customs, who personally supervised their handover to NAFDAC, as evidence of the smooth working relationship between the two agencies and a testament to the effectiveness of their newly signed MoU.
In his remarks, Dr. Iluyomade commended Comptroller Olomu for what he described as uncompromising enforcement and life-saving seizures. “You can kill one or two persons with guns, but you can kill a whole nation with fake drugs, unwholesome food, and harmful medicine. It is like those importing them are declaring war on the citizens of this country,” he said.
The NAFDAC Director further described Olomu as the best Controller Apapa Command has ever had, noting that his uncompromising stance has strengthened anti-smuggling efforts in the port. He recalled his early days as a young staff of NAFDAC, affirming that Customs operations have significantly evolved for the better over the years.
Iluyomade added that the awards recently won by Apapa Area Command under Olomu’s leadership were well deserved, while also seeking support to secure containers already handed over to NAFDAC from possible pilferage before their evacuation.
The visit further strengthened collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and NAFDAC in safeguarding the nation from harmful imports.
