Customs considers reopening Gamboru Ngala, Banki posts to fight arms influx …..Military promises assistance
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Nigeria Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (retd), on Thursday said the organisation would consider re-opening of customs posts at Gamboru Ngala and Banki to fight arms influx and curtail insurgency.
Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai had requested for the reopening of the border posts at Gamboru Ngala and Banki to clear the activities of insurgence.
CGC who stated this during his courtesy visit to Defence formations in Abuja said that for customs to achieve its target, it needed the support of the military, police and intelligent agencies.
According to Ali, the essence of the visit was to further strengthen synergy between the police, intelligent agencies, service chiefs and customs, to have a safer country and a viable economy, adding that smuggling of small arms and ammunition had to be prevented in view of the current insurgency in the country.
The Customs boss was of the opinion that, in the view of the fact the the military through the army chief had requested for the re-opening of the posts closed by his agency and as Customs also seeking cooperation and assistance from the military, he have to do whatever they requested for.
While calling for the cooperation of the service chiefs to curb the influx of small fire arms and explosives across the over 4,000 kilometres borders in the country, the customs boss said: “Small arms importation or smuggling is endemic; it is a problem to all of us and the military. We are doing everything to make sure we stop this thing.
“Our biggest problem is insurgence and this thing has gone beyond small arms; now people import big arms, machine guns, rocket propel grenade launchers through the ports and water side.
“So we have responsibility to stop this people from coming in; if we can reduce the number of arms that gets into the country, we can assure Nigerians that there will be safety by the security”.
The retired army officer also requested for training of customs officers on aircraft surveillance piloting, security intelligence, maritime logistics and army cooperation from the service.
Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Buratai in his speech also urged Ali to return customs post to other places that had been cleared of insurgents in Borno, to boost soldiers’ morale and support the fight aside the earlier mentioned border posts.
“We will work together to ensure this smuggling is curbed and eliminated in the long run.
“The customs is the gateway to the Nigerian economy and the gateway to Nigeria because their role around the border is crucial.
“Let me request for the return of our customs border posts around some of these areas which have been captured from insurgents, especially Gamboru-Ngala and Banki.
“Though economic activities have not fully returned to those areas, our troops are there and we will appreciate it if the customs returns to those areas so that you will also support our fight against insurgency.
“The fight against insurgency is not strictly for the Nigerian military alone; it is for all Nigerians.
“The earlier we establish this fact, the better for all of us. Our troops on the field have been doing well; they require the continued support of all Nigerians both morally and otherwise,” Buratai said.
In his speech, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar said that customs should enlist its men into the international air training school in Enugu.
He said its officers were being trained in Portugal to perfect the building of local operational Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (drone) and make them available for customs and other paramilitaries.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, while commending custom’s anti-corruption posture, said, “I share in your vision of sanitising the system to enhance the nation’s economic survival”, adding that Navy would assist in training customs’ marine command officers to curb imports diversion in the over 3,000 creeks and estuaries in the nation.