Smuggling is a national problem and those who engage in it are considered economic saboteurs. The rough estimate of Nigeria’s revenue loss to smuggling is a staggering $3 billion. Republic of Benin has almost made smuggling to Nigeria its major source of revenue. Unfortunately, it is innocent Nigerians who pay the price for this economic wastage allegedly carried out by Nigeria’s West African neighbour. Factories in Nigeria are losing capacity due to smuggling and breadwinners are being kicked out of their jobs.

In the case of rice smuggling alone, Nigeria loses an average of N120 billion yearly to smuggling and almost 100 percent of rice smuggled into Nigeria comes through the borders with Benin Republic.

Nigeria also loses trillions of naira yearly in revenue to smuggling of prohibited goods such as cars, poultry products, textiles, rice, amongst others. Smuggling paralyses local industries, with its attendant drain on foreign earnings.

This underscores why the Nigeria Customs Service has intensified the fight against smuggling to protect local industries, create employment and prevent the use of the nation’s markets as dumping ground for fake, substandard, unwholesome and prohibited items.

The size of Nigeria as a geographical and economic giant on the continent of Africa leaves the country with the challenge of having to confront the menace from diverse points. Not much is heard or said about strong smuggling chains in the South South and South East Geo-Political Zones comprising eleven states – Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Anambra and Rivers States. Other states are Delta, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Edo States. Saddled with the task of fighting smuggling in these states is the Zone C’ Federal Operations Unit of Nigeria Customs Service with Headquarters in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

A rare combination of tact, intelligence and swift enforcements by officers and men of the command led by Mr. Victor David Dimka is yielding results as heavy blows are being dealt unrepentant smugglers with massive seizures and arrests of suspects.
The zone is where customs generate its highest seizures and arrests of smugglers in Nigeria. Known for his unassuming anti-smuggling posture, Dimka, Customs Area Controller of the unit, does not only seizes smuggled products, but he also arrests the ‘men behind the mask’.

The anti-smuggling combatant has in his trail a track record of achieving the highest number of seizures and arrests of suspected smugglers wherever he’d served.

This feat was evident in other places he had served including Federal Operations Unit, Zone‘A’, Lagos. For Dimka, anti-smuggling operations are incomplete if all Nigeria customs does is to parade only the wares of smugglers without the human actors who are the perpetrators of the crimes.

This knack for exposing the faces behind the crimes and pressing for their eventual prosecution and possible conviction at the courts obviously sends shivers down the spines of smuggling barons in Dimka’s Areas of Responsibility (AOR). Recent seizures of fake drugs and unregistered soaps in the east by the command have saved people from possible mass deaths and the mystery of strange illnesses.

ALTHOUGH the Nigerian Customs Service is not a health agency, it is visibly contributing to safeguarding the health of Nigerians through expanded anti-smuggling operations. In recent times, the unit has been averting situations where some ‘merchants of death’ would smile to the banks while unsuspecting consumers of smuggled fake drugs would suffer untold hardships.

For Dimka, no smuggler of such products would be spared. Fighting smuggling to save the economy and lives of citizens has almost become a mantra for Dimka who has come under severe attacks by persons whose unwholesome activities were adversely affected by customs’ positive drive.

With the renewed vigor the new Comptroller-General of Customs Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd) is bring into the agency, Dimka’s men, noted for making the highest seizures nationwide, has snuffed out attempts to bring in truckloads of fake prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The 843 cartons of imported fake drugs were 696 cartons of fake imported Lubumol and 153 cartons of Tramadol analgesic with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N163,260,000.

There have been several alerts across the globe on fake versions of Tramadol and some desperate importers and smugglers chose Nigeria as a soft target for the deadly product. According to drugs.com, an online medical portal, Tramadol is a narcotic-like pain reliever used to treat moderate to severe pain. The extended-release form of tramadol is for around-the-clock treatment of pain. This form of tramadol is not for use on an as-needed basis for pain.

Users are advised not to take tramadol if they have used alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers, or narcotic medications before. Tramadol can slow or stop breathing, especially when one starts using the medicine or whenever the dose is changed.
Faking and smuggling such drugs into the country is, to say the least, an attempt at mass destruction of lives of innocent Nigerians. A statement from the customs disclosed that the seizures were made along the Eleme-Aba Road in Rivers State by customs patrol team.
Dimka who disclosed this recently in Owerri where he showcased the exhibits, said that they were confiscated on the Eleme/Aba road last month, September 22.
‘’We won’t be here and allow some heartless people kill the sick to enrich themselves. Those bringing these things into Nigeria are doing it for money not minding how our people are affected. We will not be deterred by their antics and resilience to stick to crime. We will keep seizing these drugs, arresting and prosecuting suspects involved in the crime.’’ Dimka said.

The Command had earlier made similar seizures of 714 cartons of drugs along with 4,480 cartons of smuggled soap. The rising surge of these fake drugs in Nigeria had caused National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to set up a National Phamacovigilance Centre not only to ensure safe use of medicines but also prevent fake drugs from being consumed by unsuspecting Nigerians.

The command also made 32 seizures with Duty Paid Value of over N814m in September, the highest so far this year. It also arrested 24 suspects in connection with the seizures with 21 cases in courts for the month of September alone. Also last month, it made underpayment recovery of N26, 272,009 into government coffers.

The commands’ intelligence has revealed that the present desperation of smugglers is borne out of their desire to make ‘quick money’ for the Yuletide season due in December. Dimka promised to continue encouraging legitimate trade while frustrating unlawful imports and smuggling.

A breakdown of the seizures made between January and September 2015 shows total duty paid value above N2.2 billion with underpayment of N105, 207,807. For the first nine months of the year, the command arrested a total number of 230 suspects in connection with 379 seizures across the various states under his watch.

It has 179 smuggling cases at various levels of prosecution in several courts. All its patrol teams are situated 40 kilometres to the borders in line with extant rules while its information patrols keeps a round the clock vigil in all its areas of coverage.

The unit, according to a statement signed by Ifeoma Onuigbo, its Public Relations Officer, would not be deterred by falsehood and attempt to blackmail in its renewed onslaught against smuggling of contraband and fake goods, vehicles with fake documents, and others into the country.

While addressing newsmen recently, Onuigbo said sequel to unrelenting onslaught against smuggling, duty evasion and other illegalities which are being confronted relentlessly by the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone C, smugglers of fake drugs have commenced a campaign of falsehood against the Zone.

According to her, “They have now resorted to using human rights group and faceless groups to attack the zone and alleging all sorts of things including compromise against our unit in a recent national publication at a time the unit should be commended for raising the anti-smuggling tempo to a greater height.
“This act is not only illegal but unpatriotic against Nigeria and the new government of President Muhammadu Buhari that has not hidden its determination to stamp out all forms of corruption and fight against all the illegalities that have been drawing the country backward.

“The smugglers and the co travelers they use in attacking the zone on the pages of newspapers but make their activities suspicious as they have demonstrated a senseless sympathy with economic saboteurs
“For spurious allegations to be churned out against our uncompromising operatives soon after we made 32 seizures with Duty Paid Value of over N814 million last month, the highest so far this year, throws a spanner in the will of progress.
“In retrospect, we also arrested 24 suspects in connection with the seizures with 21 cases in courts for the month of September alone. Also last month, we made underpayment recovery of N26, 272,009 into government coffers and therefore should be commended instead of being vilified”.

The NCS said their intelligence has revealed that the present desperation is borne out of the smugglers’ desire to make money from Yuletide sales of their illicit products.
“We will continue encouraging legitimate trade while frustrating unlawful imports and smuggling. We are not surprised that these wild allegations are coming barely two weeks after we clamped down and stopped some merchants of deaths from bringing fake and deadly drugs into the country.

We know that criminal cartels must fight back but we know they are fighting a lost battle as we shall continue to interdict, seize prohibited and smuggled goods as well as arrest suspects involved in the acts within the law.

We find it imperative to educate members of Campaign for Democracy and the public that we implement government extant laws as enshrined in the Customs Excise Management Act (CEMA) and other enabling legislation.

We are not and will never be open for any form of dialogue to compromise our statutory duties. We advise Campaign for Democracy to visit our warehouse and show proof of any seizure wrongly made by presenting evidences of genuine duty payments. We also advise them to show to the public the shops where customs operatives stock or put for sale seized goods.

On the allegations of official misconduct by our patrol teams, the human right group may further avail us with information to enable the Customs Area Controller, Dimka Victor David to investigate and bring to book any erring officer aiding and abating unlawful activities”.

The command seems undeterred and ready to strengthen its fight against illegal exports as all its unit’s patrols are backed by strong intelligence with quick information sharing. This makes it almost impossible for suspects to escape as interdiction is done on a close-up strategy from different directions to the target’s stationed smuggled wares or suspected moving vehicles. Dimka’s network of patrols runs through Benin, Asaba, and Onitsha down to Enugu.

Another team sees through Abia/Ebonyi axis. There is also another at the Port Harcourt axis seeing through Warri, Bayelsa, Uyo and various coastal towns of Calabar where smuggling can be done through the waters linking the Republic of Cameroon. The patrols check internal smuggling of escaped consignments that beat other customs checkpoints moving in from Lagos and other parts of the country and checking the various maritime borders. Customs are also specially positioned at the various airports within their areas of coverage to carry out escort for transit goods from ports to free zones as a way of facilitating trade.