The Nigeria Customs Service in Kebbi says it generated N98.2 million in May, representing 111 per cent of the command’s monthly revenue target.

The customs area controller of the command, Ben Oramalugo, disclosed this while handing over seized donkey meat and skins to the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS) in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.

“As part of our activities to fight smuggling activities and boost our monthly generated revenue, the command has generated N98.2 million in the month of May, representing 111 per cent of the command’s monthly revenue target in the state,” stated Mr Oramalugo.

He added,

“We have also handed over, to NAQS, 414 sacks of donkey meat and skins seized by the command in the spirit of interagency cooperation. If you could recall, the process of seizure started from the Maje border and ended in the Kamba axis in May in the state.”

On the right to seize donkey meat and skins, Mr Oramalugo noted that customs are empowered to detain, seize and condemn any item on several grounds as enshrined in section 167 of CEMA Cap C45 LFN 2004.

“This is so upon smuggling them into the country or importing without payment of duty, irrespective of whether the items are allowed to be imported or outright contraband,” the customs official explained.

He added,

“Same is also applicable to the items intercepted by customs about to be smuggled out of the country. Section 63 of CEMA is unequivocal about the exportation of items without following the laid down procedure of approved exports.”

The police in Zone 2 command, Onikan, Lagos, have arrested a fake woman customs officer, Rakiya Musa, for allegedly swindling unsuspecting members of the public.

The zonal public relations officer, SP Hauwa Idris-Adamu, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday.

Ms Idris-Adamu said the Assistant Inspector General of Police of the Zone, comprising Lagos and Ogun, Mohammed Ali, received a petition on April 12 from two public members against Ms Musa.

“A petition was written by one Josiah Kashim Utenwojo and one Dominic Okoh Henry against the suspect who claimed to be an officer of the Nigerian Customs Service in charge of the Public Auction Unit at Tin Can Port, Apapa, Lagos.

“Musa lived in the Nigeria Air Force Mess Apapa for three months, thereby making her victims believe she is a customs officer.

“Upon receipt of the petition, the AIG immediately detailed some crack detectives attached to the Zonal Criminal Investigation Department to investigate, and they immediately swung into action,” she said.

According to her, the victims were introduced to the suspect by a retired naval officer, Akinwande Kayode, and the suspect fraudulently obtained N3.2 million from them.

“Based on the foregoing, the sum of N3.2m was transferred to Musa’s UBA personal account.

“Immediately the fund was received, she became incommunicado, and it then dawned upon them that they had been swindled; all efforts made to reach her proved abortive.

“However, after a painstaking investigation, she was arrested at Abuja where Customs ID card and Customs Clearing Agent ID were recovered from her, and she was brought to Lagos for proper investigation,” she said.

The ZPRO said that the suspect confessed during the investigation that she had been impersonating a customs officer to defraud unsuspecting members of the public and that she had been in the business for over 15 years.

Ms Idris-Adamu said Ms Musa also claimed to have given N1 million to her boyfriend, Akinwande Kayode, the retired naval officer, from the N3.2 million fraudulently obtained from the victims.

She said the investigation is still in progress and the suspect would be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.