Nigeria Customs Set to Build Accommodation For Officers At Seme Border

…Sacks Clearing Agents from Offices

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Nigeria Customs Service has announced that it was set to build accommodation for its officers around Seme Border area of Lagos, so as to ensure effective delivery of their statutory functions.

The Comptroller General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali said the service wants to avoid a situation where inadequacy of barracks accommodation forces its Officers to live in houses that may belong to smugglers.

Meanwhile, clearing agents occupying customs landed property at Seme Border of Lagos have been sacked from their properties to avoid destruction.

The National Public Relations Officer of Customs, Joseph Attah in a press statement on Friday said the Customs had allowed the clearing agents to use the landed property for over a decade, and that it served the occupants quit notices over a year ago.

The service however corrected reports circulating on social media alleging that customs was destroying the properties of Clearing Agents at Seme Border.

Correcting the wrong narrative, Attah said “For the avoidance of doubt, the land in question belongs to Nigeria Customs Service and was allocated temporarily to the Clearing Agents with the agreement that anytime the service have need for it, they will leave”

“Fortunately for the Clearing Agents, they had the opportunity of using the land for over a decade till now that the Service is expanding its barracks to accommodate more Officers and Men of the Command.

“This is in line with the effort of NCS Management to provide adequate accommodation for its Officers so as to ensure effective deliveryof their statutory functions. NCS Management wants to avoid a situation where inadequacy of barracks accommodation forces Officers to live in houses that may belong to smugglers.

“Consequently, they were given quit notice that lasted about a year. In line with our cordial relationship, the Agents are complying with the notice and removing all their valuables including doors, windows e.t.c.

“It is therefore, unfortunate for this unknown person to film people who are removing their own properties without coercion or hindrance to give it a narrative that can cause breach of peace”

“The Service therefore,calls on all those who may come across this video to disregard its content as effort are on to track the fabricator” the statement read