WESTERN MARINE COMMAND: Comptroller Bamisaiye Orders Personnel To Shoot Smugglers At Sea

...Hands Over 17 Bags Of Illicit Drugs To NDLEA 

 

By Roland Ekama

Determined to suppress smuggling activities on the waterway, Controller, Western Marine Command, Nigeria Customs Service , Comptroller Paul Bamisaiye has issued a marching order to officers and men under his watch to ensure that suspects are arrested in line with his enforcement mandates.

Bamisaiye gave the directive on Tuesday in Lagos , during a press briefing, at a handing over ceremony on the seizures of 17 bags of cannabis .

While handing over the seized illicit drugs to operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Area Controller tasked personnel at sea on patrol to shoot any daredevil smugglers on their legs towards ensuring that they are arrested.

Apparently determined to bring smuggling to its barest minimum, the customs boss said the service will not only continue to intercept means of convenance of the illicit items but maintained that personnel under his leadership will improve on the arrest of smugglers .

According to him, personnel are to shoot the smugglers on their leg and bring them to the command for treatment, pointing out that the state of the art clinic is fully equipped to treat wounded criminals.

He stated that”I told my officers that from now that we are not supposed to kill but to shoot the smugglers on their legs. Our officers are marine officers but they are not skillful like the smugglers when it comes to swimming so therefore they should shoot them and bring them to the command’s clinic for treatment.”

 

Maintaining that the narrative of daredevil smugglers run off and items intercepted must change, Comptroller Bamisaiye urged smugglers on the waterways to shun illicit trade and embrace legitimate business, saying that the service will not patronise any form of negativity on the nation’s waterways.

 

He reiterated that the smuggling has become a menace to the society and the command is poised to improve on its anti smuggling performance .

Speaking on the seized illicit drugs, Comptroller Bamisaiye stressed that :”The Western Marine Command of Nigeria Customs Service in its continued efforts to purge the Western Waterways of the offensive activities of smuggling intercepted and seized Seventeen (17) Sacks containing One Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty Seven (1,257) loaves of Cannabis Sativa with a combined weight of 720kg worth over 96 Million Naira.

“At about 2300hrs on Wednesday 15 May 2024, a patrol team of Officers and Men of WMC at the Bar beach station of the Command received credible intelligence on movement of a boat on the high sea along the beach location carrying items suspected to be offending items. Upon receiving the information the team moved towards the described location and intercepted one fiber boat fitted with 200HP Yamaha Engine carrying sacks of the suspected items.

“In a related development on Sunday 19 May 2024 a joint team of Officers and Men of the Command while on routine patrol along Panko Creek, Badagry Waterways, intercepted one wooden boat fitted with a 25HP Yamaha engine carrying suspected contraband items and upon sighting our patrol Boats abandoned their Boat and dived into the water.

“A careful examination of the items being conveyed revealed Five Hundred and Five (505) Bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice having a combined DPV of Fifty Nine Million, One Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Naira (N59, 185,000.00) of both items and Means of Conveyance. The actions of these smugglers is a direct contravention of sections 245 and 254 of NCS Act 2023 which WMC is responsible for enforcing.

“In the spirit of interagency synergy and collaboration in line with the Comptroller General’s (CGC) policy thrust, the Western Marine Command (WMC) under my leadership has received approval to handover Seventeen (17) sacks containing One thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty Seven (1,257) loaves of Cannabis Sativa which includes Seventy Two (72) loaves that were previously seized by the Command with a combined weight of 609kg worth over 96 Million Naira to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

While appreciating the CGC and Management of NCS for the motivation they provide, the WMC  boss appealed to the general and trading public not to engage in illicit drugs. “And to stop smuggling which lead to economic sabotage as drugs continue to be a menace to society and serves as the source of other criminal acts, like banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery.

“Western Marine Command is poised more than ever to improve on this performance in the years ahead,” he affirmed

On his part, Bashir Magaji, acting Commander Narcotics, Marine Command , National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) commended the service for the fight against smuggling.