Smuggling: Nigeria reads riot act to Benin Republic

FROM SEGUN OLA­TUNJI, ABEOKUTA
Nigeria and Benin Republic yester­day met on the implementation of the protocol of the Eco­nomic Community of West African States on the tran­sit of goods between the two countries.
With the agreement be­tween the two countries on implementing the ECOWAS protocol on goods in transit, all second hand vehicles, popularly called “Tokunbo” imported through the neigh­bouring Benin Republic would henceforth be handed over to Nigerian Customs officials at the borders for the payment of appropriate duty and proper documenta­tion.
The meeting between Ni­geria and Benin Republic held just as the Ogun State Command of the Nigerian Customs Service said it has confiscated 18,582 cartons of frozen poultry products in the past three weeks.
The NCS also said that the seized frozen poultry products, which included chicken and turkey had mar­ket value of N90million. It said they were confiscated on the Idiroko border as well as from smugglers around the border towns at Imeko, Ajegunle and Ihunbo.
Receiving the Director General of the Benin Re­public Customs, Colonel Charles Sezan Sourou at his Idiroko border office, the Customs Area Controller for the Ogun State Command, Comptroller Haruna Mamu­du said Nigeria was ready to give the Beninoise customs logistics support in checking the activities of smugglers if only it demonstrates enough commitments to implement­ing the ECOWAS protocol on transit goods.
Mamudu stated that the NCS Comptroller Gen­eral recently met his Benin Republic counterpart and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on how the Customs in the two neigh­bouring countries could as­sist each other in reducing the spate of smuggling of prohibited goods.
He however expressed regret that earlier efforts made towards implement­ing the ECOWAS protocol was frustrated by Beninoise customs officials after about one week of its operation.
The customs area control­ler stated that what Nigeria was interested in was the strict implementation of the agreement reached be­tween the two countries on the ECOWAS protocol on transit.
He warned that the cur­rent situation where used vehicles being imported through the sea ports in Benin Republic were not escorted with the manifest and handed over to Nige­rian Customs officials at the land borders, contrary to the dictates of the agreement reached on the implementa­tion of the protocol, was not acceptable to Nigeria.
Mamudu further warned that any vehicle confiscated while attempting to evade the payment of duty or being smuggled into the country through illegal means would not be released to its owners.
Earlier, the Benin Repub­lic customs director general who was represented by the country’s Regional Director, Pierre-Claver Tossou gave Nigeria the assurance that the agreement reached be­tween the two countries this time around on the imple­mentation of the ECOWAS transit protocol would be fully implemented.
-The Sun