ON CUSTOMS’ RAID IN KANOCategory: Opinion

Considering the phenomenon of indiscriminate smuggling, the sheer volume and the monetary value of smuggled items flooding Nigerian markets, one shouldn’t be surprised at the alarming rates at which the countries’ already struggling industries collapse, which discourages entrepreneurship, creates unemployment and consequently unleashes grinding poverty.
 

The surprising, or rather, the unfortunately ironic aspect of the situation is that, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), which is supposed to prevent and tackle smuggling, has not only failed to deliver but many of its officials are actually involved in facilitating the smuggling of contraband items into the country.
The blatant involvement of the officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), of course with the exception of a few honest and patriotic personnel, in facilitating systematic smuggling into the country undermines and will inevitably continue to frustrate the country’s efforts to build a competitive economy. Their occasional intensification of their purported efforts to curb smuggling is a mere ploy designed to further extort the smugglers and in the meantime show off their hypocritical commitment to fight the phenomenon.
 By the way, contrary to the assumption that smuggling persists in the country because Nigerian businessmen simply prefer to engage in it, and that Nigerians always prefer foreign goods also, it is actually the failure of the successive governments to provide adequate and efficient infrastructure e.g. stable and sufficient power supply, necessarily needed to create and attain economic competitiveness that practically pushed many Nigerian businessmen into smuggling in the first place. This is because in the absence of such infrastructure, it is practically impossible for locally made goods to compete with imported goods in terms of price and quality, which is also the primary reason why Nigerian consumers prefer the imported goods.
 Anyway, the recent raid and seizure of reportedly more than 300 billion naira worth of textile materials by officials of the Nigeria Customs
Service (NCS) in Kano was yet another attempt in that regard. Besides, as expected, they are right now releasing the seized goods to their owners after they agreed to pay some negotiable amounts of money in lieu of the
Customs duties they had evaded. One can therefore imagine the amount of *cuwa-cuwa *being currently committed in this opaque arrangement.
 The age-long collaboration between many corrupt officials of the NCS, who obviously hugely outnumber the honest ones, and some dishonest middlemen who have jointly facilitated smuggling into the country has now grown into an organized and sophisticated crime perpetrated by many NCS officials and some unscrupulous businessmen masquerading as clearing agents.
 This situation is particularly scandalous in the northern part of the country where a notorious Katsina-born billionaire has practically monopolised this illegal business for more than a decade within which he built the largest single smuggling business empire in Nigeria and perhaps the west African sub region, if not the whole Africa, for that matter.
 He has dominated the smuggling route into the country through its northern boundaries, which is perhaps the most lucrative smuggling route in the country. The route starts all the way from Cotonou seaport in the neighbouring Benin Republic where thousands of shipping containers of contraband items imported by Nigerians from Asia, the Middles East, Europe and America, are unloaded on their way to Nigeria. The containers are then transported by trucks through Niger Republic via Katsina state border towns to their final destinations in Kano and other parts of Nigeria.
 What is particularly ironic about this notorious smuggler is his sheer resistance against any attempt to compete with him in this illegal business. He is said to be extremely harsh against whoever dares to engage in this business on this route. In fact, he has reportedly punished many people who have attempted to secretly try their luck in it, by getting all their smuggled goods confiscated by the Customs officials. Tales about his huge influence and the extent of his formidability are very common among top importers and other businessmen who deal in imported items particularly in northern Nigeria.
 It is obvious anyway that, considering the sheer magnitude of his illegal business, the brazen way and the blatant impunity with which it is perpetrated on a daily basis for more than a decade, he couldn’t have achieved this without the involvement of many powerful officials within the NCS, the corridors of power in several states and the federal government who he apparently induces with huge financial inducements. This, after all, explains the enormous goodwill he enjoys among the top politicians in the country, the most influential traditional rulers in the region and even among the top religious clerics. 
However, since the previous governments failed, or rather, simply refused to tame this notorious smuggler for obvious reasons, the situation is now expected to change under President Muhammadu Buhari who is expected to tame him and his cronies within the NCS, in the context of his anti corruption drive, which he probably prepares to launch soon.
Mohammad Qaddam Sidq Isa
www.mohammadsidq..com

@caveatemptor,
Your title is wrong,it should be "Dahiru Mangal and his grip on Nigeria"
it is a pity that this guy has laundered the illicit proceeds from his illegal and illegitimate business to form a commercial airline company. That is the extent of damage this character his inflicted on the economy of this country.

I feel the government has to got to go after openly corrupt economic saboteurs like Mangal and the Comptroller General of the Customs Service Dikko.
Note that all these corrupt guys are from Katsina State where Mr President Buhari hails from.
Mr Buhari can not claim ignorance of the monumental economic sabotage going on at Jibiya border station.

Op, curruption in this country is like worms in a rotten corpse which if you try clearing them for embalment and you think you've cleared all 10 or 100 more will be seen creeping out, untill you use a chemical to eradicate them. So guy am not suprised at all with this prince of illegal trader.

While I agree that These people should face justice I think we need to give General Buhari time. I do not think he is turning a blind eye to these corrupt practices because these people are from Katsina State like the President.

@Themadame,
As much as I respect your opinion and admit your entitlement to it,Prrsident Buhari can not claim ignorance of the activities of Dahiru Mangal in his back yard of Katsina State.
President Buhari was sworn in over three weeks ago and this fraudulent activity of Mangal has not stopped for one day. Can he claim ignorance of Mangals activities at Jibiya border? Can he claim he is ignorant of Comptroller General Dikkos tacit support of Mangals fraudulent activities?
We claim to be fighting Boko Haram,yet we allow one individual to bring gigantic Trucks across the border and no single examination of these trucks is carried out by Customs. What if these trucks are loaded with arms and ammunition?
The President has no right to claim ignorance of these activities in his Katsina backyard.

Are you implying that Mr President is in support of corruption or has failed to move against these individuals because they are from his state?

@Themadame,
I am not implying anything except the fact that Mr President is aware of the activities of Mangal because primarily it takes place in his backyard of Katsina State. He has no right to claim ignorance. He should act. Boko Haram could be funded through cross border smuggling and Boko Haram could be armed when giant trucks cross the border without being checked simples.

TheMadame:
While I agree that These people should face justice I think we need to give General Buhari time. I do not think he is turning a blind eye to these corrupt practices because these people are from Katsina State like the President.

Ass lickers.... all of a sudden, they want to give Buhari time.

Flets:

Ass lickers.... all of a sudden, they want to give Buhari time.

Please read carefully and comprehend any post by me.

So this Mangal fellow is still alive and waxing strong? He has been the multi-billionaire kingpin of smuggling and just about all kinds of illegal businesses for ages. I remember my dad and other NCS relatives serving in the North during the early 2000s were always talking about him and his overbearing influence. He was some sort of mafia overlord whom the NCS itself dreaded. His power reached an all time high during the Yar'Adua administration as he was some sort of godfather to the president then.

I know for sure that Buhari would not do anything about Mangal's criminal activities. He would cover him as his Katsina brother and fellow Abokki Jihadist.

TheMadame:
@caveatemptor,
Your title is wrong,it should be "Dahiru Mangal and his grip on Nigeria"
it is a pity that this guy has laundered the illicit proceeds from his illegal and illegitimate business to form a commercial airline company. That is the extent of damage this character his inflicted on the economy of this country.

Which command u dey work,I go like know u more

Related to Fahad Mangal?

Buhari must put a leash on thia guy. Ecen in business circles in Maradi, Niger Republic are fed up with this guy. I understand that he has cornered the hydrocarbon sector in their new refinery in cahoots with local politicians and government officials in thst country.

citizenY:
Buhari must put a leash on thia guy. Ecen in business circles in Maradi, Niger Republic are fed up with this guy. I understand that he has cornered the hydrocarbon sector in their new refinery in cahoots with local politicians and government officials in thst country.

You really and seriously have no idea who the terrorist is. Put a leash on Mangal? Not in this life on in the one to come.

I heard that the man was sharing many gifts in katsina so that they won't vote for Buhari.