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Customs disolves border patrol team amidst smuggling, brutality allegations
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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the dissolution of its Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT).
The Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, in a statement Tuesday, said the decision was made after due consultation with the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
The House of Representatives had, on December 11, mandated its Committees on Customs and Excise, Defence, to investigate the operations and activities of the NCS across the nation’s borders over alleged complicity in aiding smuggling and involvement in brutality against Nigerians.
The committees were also directed to examine the role of military personnel attached to Customs patrols in order to ensure their operations comply with legal frameworks and human rights standards.
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The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Rep. Sesi Whingan who alleged that rather than prevent smuggling, recent reports showed that Customs’ personnel across the borders were aiding and abetting smuggling.
But the Customs spokesman explained yesterday that the dissolution of the joint border patrol team was part of the NCS’ efforts to strengthen border management and reinvigorate its 2025 enforcement strategy.
The JBPT, coordinated by the ONSA, evolved from an ex-swift response team to become a tripartite operation comprising Benin Republic, Niger Republic and Nigeria.
The patrol team was tasked with combating smuggling, irregular migration, and other transnational organised crimes along the nations’ borders, among others.
Maiwada said the team’s dissolution would not compromise border security or trade facilitation, but represents a significant step towards modernising Customs’ operations, improving trade compliance and strengthening national security.
The NCS said the move was part of the organisation’s ‘2025 enforcement strategy’.
“This strategy is aimed at removing bottlenecks associated with trade, strengthening border security, combating smuggling, and facilitating legitimate trade,” he said.
Maiwada also disclosed that Adewale Adeniyi, NCS Comptroller-General, had approved the reduction of customs checkpoints across the country to streamline its operations and to ease movement of goods and persons.
According to the statement, Adeniyi said the NCS would shift reliance to intelligence.
“Moving forward, customs operations will rely more on actionable intelligence and strategic risk management frameworks to enhance efficiency and effectiveness,” the statement quoted the CG as saying.
Watch video depicting moment Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District townhall/stakeholders meeting convened by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio in Ikot Ekpene, the people renewed their resolve to stand on the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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Popular Nigerian gospel singer Asu Ekiye has finally opened up on how his estranged wife, Kunemofa Asu, initiated the divorce proceedings that led to the dissolution of their 28-year marriage.
Ekiye, popularly known as the “Prince of the Niger Delta”, made the clarification in a statement shared on social media.
The clarification followed reactions to his earlier announcement on Thursday that his marriage to Kunemofa, which began in 1998, had ended.
The announcement sparked widespread reactions from fans of the award-winning singer, especially netizens, with many expressing shock at why a marriage of that length could have been salvaged.
However, following public curiosity, the singer, in a new post, clarified that his wife initiated the split and filed for divorce without a prior quarrel, and that reconciliation efforts failed.
Ekiye said his wife had expressed her desire to end the marriage, moved out of their home, and subsequently instituted divorce proceedings.
“The decision regarding the dissolution of my marriage was not one I initiated.
“Having done all I could to seek reconciliation, I eventually came to the difficult decision to accept the reality of the situation,” he said.
The singer said he spent about a year making efforts to reconcile with his wife and preserve the marriage, but she remained firm in her decision.
Ekiye said he decided to clarify the circumstances surrounding the divorce after receiving numerous calls and messages following his announcement about the end of the marriage.
He said he bore no bitterness or ill will towards his former wife and had chosen to approach the new phase of his life with dignity and respect for all concerned.
“I bear no bitterness or ill will toward anyone,” he said.
The Nigerian Navy (NN) has handed over nine suspected stowaways to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) after rescuing them from a merchant vessel in Lagos.
The Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft effected the handover on Friday following the discovery of the suspects concealed in the propeller compartment of MT *Evgenia* two days earlier.
According to a statement by the Commander of NNS Beecroft, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, the suspects were found on Wednesday, August 19, and evacuated to the naval base for preliminary investigation and profiling.
He said investigations revealed that the suspects boarded the vessel while it was berthed at the Flour Mills Jetty in Apapa, allegedly intending to travel illegally to Europe.
The suspects were identified as Thompson Vincent, 23; Emmanuel Philip, 24; Tobi Olalekan, 32; Omotayo Adebowale, 43; Abdullahi Idowu, 21; Tunde Mustapha, 19; Jamiu Ismaila, 25; Ibrahim Alabi, 30; and Christian Kadiri, 22.
Adams-Aliu said the handover was part of ongoing collaboration among security agencies to curb illegal migration and strengthen maritime security.
He urged parents, guardians and other authority figures to discourage young people from attempting to board seagoing vessels illegally, noting that the dangers associated with the practice extended beyond Nigeria to other West African coastal states.
He added that NNS Beecroft would continue to support the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, in deploying a professional naval force to safeguard Nigeria’s maritime interests and support national security operations.
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