The Acting Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has approved the immediate dissolution of the CGC’s Strike Force Teams.
The development was officially announced through a circular dated 17th June, signed by Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Enforcement, Investigation, and Inspection (E, I& I), Abba Kura.
In the circular, all officers previously assigned to the Strike Force Teams have been directed to return to their respective Area Commands or Units from which they were drawn.
Moreover, the Strike Force Team Coordinators in zones A, B, C, and the headquarters have been tasked with ensuring that all arms and ammunition are properly handed over to their respective Area Commands, Units, or Headquarters.
As part of the dissolution process, the Customs boss also mandated the handover of operational vehicles to the Controllers of the Federal Operation Units (FOU), with necessary returns to be forwarded to Headquarters.
The Coordinator of Headquarters Strike Force Team has been instructed to retire operational vehicles from his team to the Comptroller Transport & Logistics.
The circular also addresses the importance of records, with all detentions, seizures, cases in court, and other vital information to be handed over to the Controllers of FOUs across the Zones.
Furthermore, the Coordinator of Headquarters Strike Force Team is required to retire all records under his custody to the office of Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Enforcement, Investigation, and Inspection (E, I&I).
While expressing commendation and appreciation for the services rendered by the Strike Force Teams, the CGC urges strict compliance with the immediate effect of the dissolution.
The decision marks a significant change in the Customs’ operations, even as the impact of this move on their enforcement efforts remains to be seen.
