Senator Fadahunsi To Anti-Graft Agencies: Former Customs CG Hameed Ali Must Pay For ‘His Sins’
Former Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ibrahim Ali , a retired colonel, must be made to pay for his sins, the anti-graft and security agencies should therefore invite him for questioning, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East in the senate, has submitted.
Ali, who served as Military Governor of Kaduna state from 1996 to 1998, was the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service between 2015 and 2023.
The senator, a retired deputy comptroller general of customs, though noted that the appointment of a thoroughbred professional, Bashir Adeniyi as new Customs chief would help the service, Ali must however not go unpunished.
‘By the time the rots in the Customs service are uncovered, people would know how much damage has been done. If not, that Nigeria’s economy is resilient, it ought to have collapsed’ Fadahuni submitted while picking holes in the process adopted for auctioning of vehicles, adding that some of the owners of seized vehicles had failed to recover from the shock.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned that he has also alleged that impounded bags of rice that were said to have been donated and made available to people for humanitarian purposes were still having funds meant for such featured in the budget of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
‘All these seized items could have been sold back to the owners and funds would have also been generated in the form of duties. He must answer for his sins’ he said.
Fadahunsi has also stated the need for the new customs chief to ‘demilitarize’ the customs, noting that revenue drive and anti-smuggling efforts cannot be considered to mean ‘going around with guns in the city like coup plotters as if there was war’.
This ‘militarisation’ , he added, had shut business doors against neighbouring countries on the grounds that they were stealing fuel.
‘In the real sense of it, how much fuel passes through the border, we all know how fuel is being stolen. How many tons of fuel has the customs ever seized at the border? What can two people do amidst the numerous people? Go to the Republic of Benin, the Onikolobo cement built by Nigeria and ceded to them is still there.
How much fuel is exported by road, whereas you would see a whole shipload of fuel being smuggled via water and even escorted by security agents. We must appreciate the President for his new appointment. We believe they can correct the situation’ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com
Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you
