Group demands Customs probe over bribery, forgery

Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to urgently investigate the Nigerian Customs for alleged bribery, corruption and forgery.
In a petition forwarded to the anti-graft commission and signed by CSNAC’s chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, the coalition said it aws demanding a full scale investigation be launched into the activities of NCS in view of its alleged strong embrace of corruption, bribery and forgery.
Taking the cue of its petition from a special investigative report of the 31st of December, 2015, of an online newspaper, The Cable, the coalition said the news medium comprehensively reported how the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) was a citadel of corruption, forgery and bribery.
“The undercover investigator rigorously dissected the degree of corruption activities that are perpetrated at every level of operations (ranging from importing to clearing) at Nigeria Port in Apapa, in particular.
“His findings revealed series of sharp practices involving men of the service, other borders and security agencies, the clearing agents, and banks leading to massive short-changing of government revenue.”
“He firstly revealed the study of inflow and outflow of articulated vehicles, the conduct of uniformed men, the transactional conversations of clearing agents and the touting drive of document forgers. Whereby, there is an entry of estimated average of 300 vehicles in an hour despite been informed it was a period of low business?
“He also revealed that Nnemi building’s (close to the port) entrance is populated by agents and forgers of documents (a place similar to Oluwole where there is hardly a document that cannot be forged); as observed influx of people, some entering empty-handed and exiting with sheets of printed paper while others coming in with a few sheets and leaving with stashes of documents.”
CSNAC noted further that the reporter revealed the incidence of corruption as he entered the NPA gate without a pass with three security officers but later paid a sum of N5, 000 as bribe at mufti-wearing Customs officers post (representing the second checking point). (Premium Times)