Group Drags Comptroller-General of Customs Before ICPC Over Alleged Massive Fraud
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Nigerian Customs Transparency Initiative(NCTI) a non governmental organisation, has submitted a lengthy petition to Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC asking it to probe the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Abdullahi Inde Dikko over alleged shady deals.
The group in the petition signed by Dr. James onoja, is seeking a thorough probe into several allegations against the Comptroller-General and which had earlier been reported to the former President, DSS director, former attorney-General and many others.
In the petition, the CCG alleged among others, inflation of contract cost: that; “The contract for the construction of Customs Staff College was aided and abetted by a Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, who was not a member of Nigeria Customs Board.
It was also alleged in the petition that, the company used for the contract was registered three weeks after the award of the contract. Also, the estate named Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Customs Barracks at Kuje, was purchased at the inflated rate of four billion naira and renovated with ten billion naira.
The group also alleged false Declaration of Annual Customs Revenue Generation. It stated: “Yearly, in order to give false impression of excellent performance, the Customs Service adds figure of the Value Added Tax (VAT) which Customs collects on behalf of Federal inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to the revenue derived from custom duties whereas the same VAT figure has been included in the VAT revenue declared and announced by FIRS as required by law, thereby creating a misleading duplication of revenue figure derive from VAT”.
Another serious allegation is, Conversion of Katsina Customs Service landed property to his own personal use. The group sated: “He fraudulently acquired Nigeria Customs Service landed property in Katsina containing six houses which he demolished to build his own palatial edifice which is bigger than the state’s Government house”.
Dr Onaja group also alleged CG Dikko of expenditure of N3.5billion on internet facility and contravention of the Public Service Rule 070318, manipulation of promotions, high-handedness, inflation of purchase of BMW cars for senior officials.
“The Customs Board was kept in the dark as promotions were manipulated and Customs Officials were selectively elevate d. Bootlickers, favourites and stooges were elevated to juicy and sumptuous positions and postings to Lagos and Port-Harcourt ports.
“Meritocracy was slaughtered on the altar of mediocrity. His reckless abuse of office with unmitigated religious and ethnic bias “Purchase of vehicles: Prices of B.M.W vehicles for senior officers were criminally inflated.
“About N3.5 billion was siphoned and frittered away into his pocket through an internet project that never saw daylight.
“Thirteen containers at T.C.I.P. were impounded sometime ago. It was claimed that four Iranians were arrested with the containers two of which disappeared into the thin air”, it alleged.
Read the petition abstract below:
PETITION AGAINST ALHAJI ABDULLAHI INDE DIKKO, THE COMPTOLLER GENERAL OF NIGERIA CUSTOMS SERVICES
Several letters of petition against the Comptroller –General of Customs Inde Dikko Abdullahi were sent to the erstwhile President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the former Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Ayim Pius Ayim, the former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in writing and through the media.
Other notable people copied to date were the former Attroney-General of the Federation, Mr Adoke Bello and former Director-General of State Security Service (SSS), Ita Ekpeyong.
The content of the said letter of petition included allegations of fraudulent acts, high handedness and abuse of office to name a few, but the letters were ignored because the aforementioned names benefited from the C-G of Customs, Alh. Abdullahi, Inde Dikko’s corrupt enrichment.
ISSUES AT STAKE:
Award of Contract: “The contract for the construction of Customs Staff College was aided and abetted by a Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, who was not a member of Nigeria Customs Board.
The company used for the contract was registered three weeks after the award of the contract. Also, the estate named Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Customs Barracks at Kuje, was purchased at the inflated rate of four billion naira and renovated with ten billion naira.
False Declaration of Annual Customs Revenue Generation: Yearly, in order to give false impression of excellent performance, the Customs Service adds figure of the Value Added Tax (VAT) which Customs collects on behalf of Federal inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to the revenue derived from custom duties whereas the same VAT figure has been included in the VAT revenue declared and announced by FIRS as required by law, thereby creating a misleading duplication of revenue figure derive from VAT.
Conversion of Katsina Customs Service landed property to his own personal use: He fraudulently acquired Nigeria Customs Service landed property in Katsina containing six houses which he demolished to build his own palatial edifice which is bigger than the state’s Government house.
Killing of All Textile Industries: Textile Industries in Nigeria folded up as a result of his clandestine pact with Alhaji Dahiru Manga who tops the list of smugglers of textile materials.
The C-G tried to paint himself in good light to the incumbent president by his recent Kangaroo raiding of ware houses containing contra bands textiles that he had aided in bringing into the country before the incumbent president by his recent kangaroo raiding of ware houses containing contra bands textiles that he had aided in bringing into the country before the incumbent president came into office.
Importation of Arms and Ammunition: Arms and Ammunition importation by C-G Customs led to the assassination of an Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Hammadu, in Maiduguri in 2012 who refused to support the C-G’s criminal act.
It is worthy of note that the C-G Customs, Alh. Abdullahi Inde Dikko has a killer squad headed by Asst. Compt. Dapah, the C.S.O to the C-G who possesses a silent pistol which he acquired since their days at Seme boarder when Alh. Abdullahi Dikko was the Customs Area Controller, Badagary.
One of C-G’s boys, Chief Superintendent of Customs Jameri, was in the habit of aiding arms importation and whenever accosted at the border by task force in Maiduguri always cited the C-G Abdullahi Dikko as the one that ordered such importation.
When search was conducted on his home by joint task force, a lot of army uniforms and rifles were found and the case was buried till date as the officer’s wife was the D.P.O of Barma. – courtesy C-G Abdullahi Dikko’s hand. Silence descended on the case.
The Customs transparency initiative went on air to condemn the judiciary compromise in the case and that protest led to the immediate resuscitation of the case and the imprisonment of the Iranian and the Clearing Agent, Aliyu Wamaco who is a retired Deputy Supt. Of Customs and a close ally of C-G Abdullahi Dikko, for four years respectively.
Under Welfare (Insurance Fund): The C-G Abdullahi Dikko colluded with an insurance mogul in the person of Chief Emeka Offor to defraud Nigeria Customs Service of 7.4 billion naira yearly from 2012 till date while relatives of deceased officers are left unattended to as nothing was paid to them as Insurance benefit since the death of the deceased officers.
Change in government forced and prompted the C.G to publish names of companies owing customs duties to the tune of 24 billion naira. As a matter of fact, the C-G Abdullahi Dikko has collected one- third of the said money into his private pocket thereby defrauding the Government of Nigeria.
The C-G Abdullahi Dikko colluded with Coscharis Motors to import bullet proof cars which are armored cars. The armored cars where meant for motor rally, a game floated and founded by Asiwaju Tinubu. Tinubu’s cars were taken to his home in Lagos by the Chief Mechanical Driver to the Nigeria Customs Service, Asst. Compt. Raji, now retired.
Certificate Scandal: The case of Certificate Scandal levied against the C-G was referred to the Criminal Investigating Dept. at Alagbon, Lagos State. But instead of the police to do thorough investigation on the allegation, they turned the other eye and focused on the person that reported the case. The radical lawyer Festus Keyamo is a living witness to the matter.
The extant Circular No. 58358/S.5/C.1/32 of 6th April, 1998 from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation , banning public servants from accepting honorary degree awards, fellowships etc from institutions of higher learning was flouted by the C-G Abdullahi Dikko with impunity.
He purchased one honourary doctorate degree from on unapproved University of Belize in United Arab Emirate and another honourary doctorate degree at a huge cost from Igbinedion University, Okada in December, 2012.
Also, in contravention of the Circular No. HCSF/062/S.I/VI/7 of 20 June, 2013, from the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation banning civil servants from accepting Chieftaincy titles, he accepted a chieftaincy title from Obong of Calabar in 2013.
Copies of the quoted circulars are attached herewith for your perusal and further investigation.
It is my fervent hope that this petition will be given the attention it deserves in the interest of sanity and discipline in public office, posterity and the positive change which we crave for in governance.