ABUJA: The Customs Comptroller General (CGC), Colonel Hameed Ali (rtd) has asked the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) to stop its attempt to probe some Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) officials alleged to be corrupt.
NAGAFF had in a bid to bring sanity to the cargo clearing system made public its intention to probe some NCS officials, especially a top Deputy Comptroller at Nigeria’s second busiest port, Tin Can Island Port (TCIP), Apapa, Lagos over allegations of corruption.
Though the association later backed out of the probe, NCS High Command seemed not to be happy with the development going by the content of a letter Ali wrote to NAGAFF.
According to Ali, the association has no power to conduct a public hearing on any on its officers over allegations of corruption.
CGC made this known in a letter to the National President of NAGAFF, Chief Eugene Nweke.
Titled “Re: Public hearing by NAGAFF on serving Customs Officers” and dated 21st of December 2015, NCS said its “officers are subject to the authority of the federal government and not a private association like yours.”
Continuing, the letter which was signed by the Assistant Comptroller General, Headquarters, Mr. A.U. Sanusi on behalf of Ali and obtained by THISDAY, asked the association to forward any evidence it had against any NCS officer to him for thorough investigation.
The CGC said the association has no prerogative to carry out a public hearing on officers of the service as he said that was the prerogative of the Federal Government.
“It is government prerogative to carry out such a hearing on its officers,” Ali added.
NCS also reiterated its zero tolerance to corruption saying it would not spare any officer caught compromising the trust repose in him.
“You are to be reminded that in line with the government ‘change mantra’, the Comptroller-General has zero tolerance for corruption and publicly repeated his resolve to deal decisively with any officers found to have compromised the service trust repose in him.
“In the spirit of collaboration for smooth trade facilitation, you are requested to furnish the CGC through my office with all the facts available to you that point to the indiscretions of all the officers your association have discovered to be corrupt please”, it said
NAGAFF had commenced a public hearing on activities of corrupt customs officers at the nations seaports.
The public hearing saw the mentioning of the names of the head of the Customs Processing Center (CPC) of TCIP, Deputy Controller Saidu Aliu and his assistant, Assistant Controller Zarma.
According to the association, it is in the public notice that since 2013 till date, freight forwarding agents have been complaining of systemic corruption at the CPC under the leadership of DC Saidu Aliu.
“We have received allegation of corrupt practices at the CPC inside the Tin Can Island Port. Allegations like un-receipted expenses for re-routing of risk channels to physical examination, and/or scanning-related operations; inherent extortion in local alerting of declaration for customs purposes; stoppage of duly released and exited containers at the gates; blockage of passwords of examiners unjustly and benchmarking of imported goods for additional duty assessment,” NAGAFF said.
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