Shuaibu led Joint Border Patrol Team 2 Demonstrates Strong Enforcement Capacity

… Showcases Seizure feats worth over N1.1b, Arrests 5 Suspects, 30 illegal Immigrants

Deputy Comptroller MS Shuaibu, Co-ordinator, JBPT Sector 2 addressing journalists during the press briefing

As the Federal Government continually brainstorm to put up measures in tackling the rising wave of smuggling and its vices across boards in Nigeria, the Joint Border Patrol Team Sector 2 (JBPT2), whose operations falls within the nation’s South-West Zone had with utmost zeal and determination continued to actively participate in their quest to run the illicit trade of smuggling across the land border aground.

The JBPT is a joint security outfit in different sectors and zones, created during the last administration of President Mohammadu Buhari to further give support in tackling the menace of smuggling across land border regions, especially to stem the tide of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) and Rice smuggling, including other contrabands, which on daily bleed the nation’s economy.

The JBPT, which is under the watch of the National Security Adviser (NSA), comprises of combat officers from military and paramilitary and they are segmented in Sectors (from 1-4) across the nation.

The JBPT Sector 2, with Lagos as its headquarters have been up and doing under various Sector commanders, Coordinators, showcasing humongous seizures worth billions of naira on regular basis.

However, under the watch of its present Commander, Deputy Comptroller Mohammed Salisu Shuaibu, an anti-smuggling expertise and a revered enforcement officer of customs whose experience span over two decades with numerous commendations and awards up his sleeves, the JBPT2 have been forward looking in all aspects of its mandates most especially combat against trans-border smuggling and other nefarious crimes that undermined the nation’s coexistence or threat on her economy, as well as its revenue support drive for government, as supported by Customs Act 2023.

As a testament to this assertion, the team recently announced seizures of various contraband feats worth One Billion, One Hundred and Twenty Eight Million, Six Hundred and Eighty Four Thousand, Nine Hundred Naira Only (N1,128,684,900.00k) from across its south west jurisdiction land border zones which comprises of six states in about two months period, as its enforcement operations entails.

DC Shuaibu and his team showcasing the PMS seizures

According to Shuaibu who acknowledged that the seizure is the sector’s efforts to actualize the mandate of combating smuggling and trans-border crimes, as he said that the intercepted wares were made  in violating various sections of Nigeria Customs Service NCS Act 2023 and the Federal Government’s Import and Export Guidelines.

The Coordinator, Deputy Comptroller MS Shuaibu who disclosed this in a recent press briefing which was held at Ikeja Customs Training College, Lagos further gave highpoints of the seizures to include a total One Thousand, Four/ Hundred and Then (1410) Jerry Cans of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) of (30litres each) recorded from different locations within the units Area of Responsibility. He noted that the seized PMS were recorded within one week into the briefing following intensive patrol activities by officers and men of the sector.

Similarly, the Coordinator who all through the briefing was together with the leader of Immigration under the sector, however acknowledged that with the Nigeria Immigration Service as a critical component of the Joint Border Patrol South West Team, they were able to intercepted 30 illegal Immigrants suspected to have violated immigration laws and they were without delay handed over to the immigration service for further investigation and procecution.

DC Shuaibu showcases one of the antics of smugglers, a seized Camry car (means of conveyance) reconstructed with bunkers for PMS smuggling

DC MS Shuaibu explained that the Joint Border Patrol was created to curb smuggling and combat other criminal trans-border activities that are threatening national and economic security. “These crimes have multiple effects such as; undermining national security through the movement of illicit goods, such as drugs, weapons, and human trafficking across international borders, which impact negatively on the economy by depleting the nation’s revenue base through evasion of duties and levies”, Shuaibu said.

The firm and focused Sector 2 Commander, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Mohammed Salisu Shuaibu who along with his men have also been impressive in carrying out their functions as dictated by the mandates of the Customs Act, 2023.

Deputy Comptroller Shuaibu also said that the unit along with some pressmen had on Thursday 27th June a day before the Lagos briefing visited Headquarters of the Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service to showcase some of its seizures stacked within the command’s premises.

In a breakdown manner, DC Shuaibu highlighted some of the seized goods recorded by the sector and were deposited at Seme, Ogun I, Ogun II, Oyo/Osun and Ondo Ekiti Area Commands Government Warehouses to include 4,051 bags of Foreign Parboiled Rice of 50kg each; 3,751 Jerrycans of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS); 425 cartons of Frozen Poultry Products; 912 pieces of Used Tyres; 30 sacks, 85 blocks & 125 wraps of Cannabis Sativa, as well as 30 units of vehicles as Means of Conveyance (MoC).

Other seizures made by operatives of the JBPT2 are Seven (7) units of Fairly Used (Tokunbo) Cars; One Truck, and Four (4) units of Motorcycles.

At the question and answer session, the Coordinator on the seized items said the briefing was essentially to brief the public about the unit’s performance in the past two and half months, as he noted that most of the seizures at the Training School were made within the past one week because of our intensive efforts at curbing the activities of economic saboteurs.

Furthermore, Shuaibu said that their actions are meant to warn those who engage in illegitimate trade to reconsider their position and hands off such illegal trade, and seek legitimate means of livelihood as constitutionally provided. He pointed that failure to do this will have grave consequences, as the will have them to contend with and consistently meet their waterloo.

DC MS Shuaibu was however filled with profound gratitude to the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, Psc(+) and his management team for making the achievements of JBPT2 probable with the support of needed logistics and regular moral support.