Seme: Wild frontier gets even messier
…Our records prove that smugglers see hell here –
CAC Seme Command
By
MAURICE ARCHIBONG
Comptroller Othman, CAC of Seme Area Command. PHOTO: MAURICE ARCHIBONG. All Rights Reserved. |
Seme
Border, Nigeria’s extreme south-western frontier with Benin Republic is worse
today than it ever was, mauricearchibongtravels
authoritatively reveal. Are you thinking of leaving/entering Nigeria by
road? Look to another border post to avoid losing your belongings or worse
still, having some miscreant posing as security operative give you one across
the lips.
Such
is the belligerent conduct of many hirelings called Camp Boys, that they remind
you of Chinua Achebe’s outsider
weeping louder than the bereaved. It remains unclear, why Seme throws
up over 12 checkpoints between the Nigerian end and the Beninese side – a
distance of less than 300 metres. Despite the plethora of check-points along
the Seme-Krake frontier posts, the commuter faces worse risks than those that
use other borders.
Yes,
this is Seme, where commuters are frequently robbed in broad daylight. In fact,
the situation is now so bad that, travellers are fleeced by both touts and
uniformed personnel. To make matters worse, the route is crater-infested, muddy
and slippery as well as littered with pools of pungent water. In deed, a number
of wayfarers have been tossed into pools of muddy water while an okada-rider struggled to get one
from one side to the other.
At
Seme, the sight of smugglers clad in military uniform or camouflage is
commonplace. Whether these are true service personnel or impersonators, it is
hard to say. But, what one can say, is that operatives of the Directorate of
Military Intelligence (DMI) are urgently needed here, to ensure that terrorists
donning military fatigues do not freight arms and ammunitions across the border
with ease as many paramilitary officials wary of engaging soldiers or navy
ratings, usually simply give way.
Evidently,
genuine security operatives are hampered by circumstances beyond their control.
Another classic example could be found in what we have severally called
off-side location of Nigerian agencies’ control posts. Depressingly, too;
numerous physically-challenged people were seen being wheeled along in
improvised tricycles specially designed to convey as much contraband as
possible.
Welcome
to Seme: It is not for nothing this frontier was dubbed Animal Kingdom. More
than 20 years after such an unflatering epithet was foisted on this border,
Seme still lives up to its billing, so to say. A few years ago, when redesign
and reconstruction of Seme Border began, countless travellers heaved loud sighs
of relief.
It
was thought that within a short time, the madness that ruled these climes would
be a thing of the past. Sadly, more than two years down the road, the project
is far from complete and the loose situation is amply exploited by human traffickers,
smugglers, drug couriers and other undesirable characters. Apparently, for
those that must cross Seme frontier, things will definitely get worse before
they get better.
Meanwhile,
the Customs Area Controller (CAC) for Seme Border, Comptroller Othman Abdu
Saleh has reiterated his warning to smugglers to keep off his precinct. During
an exclusive chat with mauricearchibongtravels,
this CAC declared: “Our goals at Seme Border
are to suppress smuggling, facilitate legitimate
trade, collection of revenue
and accounting for same. It also include the general security duties for the well-being of the country. There is no doubt that the task before us is Herculean, but achievable through collaborative effort”.
Personnel
of NCS Seme Area Command have truly remained on their toes. This could be
gleaned from the 460 seizures recorded and 19 suspects apprehended between
January and May this year. The DPV (Duty Paid Value) of the seized items were
put at almost N245million. In the area of collection, the Comptroller Othman
Saleh-led command has also not done badly, posting a N3.118 billion revenue
generation within the same period.
A humble and candid person,
Othman admitted that without the support and cooperation of royal fathers,
various security agencies and stakeholders at the border, the
successes recorded by his command might have been difficult to achieve.
Hear him: “The result has been reassuring and it is rewarding to note that the working synergy is yielding positive result”. Expressing appreciation to
Comptroller General of Custom Abdullahi Dikko Inde, Othman added: “We
have been well-motivated through the ongoing capacity-building initiatives of
the comptroller general of customs. Logistical support had also been adequately
provided for.
“These incentives have enabled
us to carry out our assigned responsibility better than before. The manpower
need of the Command had been further addressed through the recent deployment of
newly recruited and trained vibrant young men and women to our command”.
Concluding,
Othman remarked: “Without trying to sound immodest, I
wish to state that we have made substantial
progress since my assumption of duty here on September 3, 2012”.
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