A Federal High Court in Abuja has been told that the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Colonel Ahmeed Ali, is frustrating the $3.1Bn Customs Modernisation Project.
It was alleged that Ali is seeking to reverse the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval granted for the project.
The accusation of frustration of the new Cargo Tracking Policy billed to generate huge revenue for the Federal Government was brought against the incumbent Customs Comptroller General before Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo.
A group of investors approved by the FEC to undertake the Customs Modernisation Project claimed that the Customs chief on his own, amended the modernisation policy without a recourse to the FEC that granted the initial approval.
Among others, Ali was said to have unilaterally brought into the modernisation project, two new companies that were not among those approved by the President Muhammadu Buhari led FEC at its September 2020 meeting.
In a counter affidavit to a motion seeking to terminate a law suit on the disputed $3.1 Bn Cargo tracking policy, the investors led by one Alhaji Umaru Tanko Kuta named Trade Modernisation Project Limited and Bergman Security Consultant and Supplies Limited as two firms allegedly unlawfully brought into the project.
The counter affidavit deposed to by Alhaji Kuta, managing director of Bionica Technologies West Africa Limited, averred that Ali allegedly engaged the two companies into the Customs Modernization Project so as to corner the Cargo Tracking Policy to his family and business associates.
Among others, the investors claimed that while the FEC gave approval to E-Customs HC Project Limited as the concessionaire for the Cargo Tracking Policy as far back as September 2, 2020, the Trade Modernisation Project Limited unlawfully brought by Ali was registered on April 7, 2022 with one Mrs Jummai Zainab Umar-Ajijola as the promoter.
