Katsina gov wades into Customs, business community crisis

Kastina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has waded into the crises between the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Jibia Business Community over alleged extortion along Katsina/Jibia road.

At a press briefing recently, members of the business community had lamented “excessive extortion” of their members by Customs officials stationed on the road.

According to them, whenever traders moved their goods from Katsina to Jibia, a border town to Niger Republic, they got harassed and made to pay huge sums to Customs officials.

Some were reportedly forced to pay as much as N100,000 or more, depending on the quantity of goods, even when they were not contraband.

At a dialogue between NCS and the business community, at the instance of the governor, Chairman of Jibia People’s Forum, Gide Dahiru, said the business community had been suffering as result of the extortion and huge levy imposed on them by NCS officials.

Spokesperson to the Governor, Isah Miqdad, said Dahiru had complained that the situation “makes it difficult for them to sustain their economic activities in the area.”

Miqdad added: “According to him, illicit levies are being collected from businessmen alongside the Katsina/Jibia road without recourse to due process.

“Similarly, the unauthorised ban on the movement of some local products to the community has been a source of serious concern.”

On his part, the Comptroller of Customs in the state, Muhammad Musa, said there were guidelines the business community needed to abide by.

Responding, Radda expressed concern over the acrimonious relationship between the parties and charged them to harmonise their partnerships for the sake of peace, especially along the Jibia/Niger border.