Former Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Alhaji Hamman Bello Ahmed, immediately past Customs Area Controller of Apapa Area, one command Mrs Hannatu Sulaiman and four others were last weekend remanded a both the Kirikiri prison and Ikoyi prison as well as the Custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after being arraigned before a Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos; on a 46 count charge of import duty invasion, running into about N2.6billion.
Others who were accused and arraigned alongside the ex-CG, Customs are: Popular Foods Limited (owned by the Vaswani brothers), Silver Maritime (Shipping) Company Limited, Tajudeen Olalere and Lukman Hussain.
Both Alhaji Ahmed, Tajudeen Olalere as well as Lukman Hussain were remanded at Ikoyi Prison, Lagos, while Mrs Sulaiman was remanded in the custody of the EFCC.
Ahmed, who headed the service for less than ten months, ran into trouble as a result of his involvement with Popular Foods Limited, over alleged refusal of the company to pay import duty tax on several shipment of rice it imported in the country.
Shortly after the charge was read to the accused persons and after they all entered a not guilty plea, counsel to Ahmed, informed the court that he had filed a bail application and would want to argue same. But counsel to the EFCC, told the court that he needed time to study the application and reply accordingly, following which the trial judge, Justice Ramat Mohammed, adjourned till August 18, 2009 for argument on the bail application.
The charge preferred against the accused persons, read as E2809C says that you: Popular Foods Ltd, Sunil Vaswani (now at large) Mahesh Vaswani (now at large) Harish Vaswani (now at large) Silver Maritime (Shipping) Company Limited, Tajudeen Olalere, Lukman Hussain, Hamman Bello Ahmed, Hannatu Sulaiman, on or about November 8, 2008 within the Jurisdiction of this court were in relation to 14,000 metric tonnes of rice knowingly concerned in fraudulent evasion of the duty in the sum of N559,174,434.68 chargeable on the said 14,000 metric tonnes rice imported by Popular Foods Limited and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 164 of the Customs and Excise Management Act Cap C45 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The second charge reads: that you Popular Foods Ltd, Sunil Vaswani (now at large) Mahesh Vaswani (now at large) Harish Vaswani (now at large) Silver Maritime (Shipping) Company Limited, Tajudeen Olalere, Lukman Hussain, Hamman Bello Ahmed, Hanantu Sulaiman, on or about November 9, 2008 within the Jurisdiction of this court were in relation to 23,000 metric tonnes of rice knowingly concerned in fraudulent evasion of the duty in the sum of N883,093,687.36 chargeable on the said 14,000 metric tonnes rice imported by Popular Foods Limited and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 164 of the Customs and Excise Management Act Cap C45 Laws of the Federation of
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