Smuggling: Nigerians React As Journalist Exposes Nigerian Customs

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Exclusive Reports, Exclusive/Investigative Stories, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Saturday, April 6th, 2024

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, has stirred the hornets nests after he uploaded dairy products been smuggled into the country with the assistance of the Nigerian Custom authorities.The African Examiner recalls that Fisayo for some time now have been dishing out investigative reports about the porosity of the Nigerian border and how the Nigerian Custom authorities aid in smuggling. The Nigerian Custom authorities have since denied these allegations.

However, Fisayo, during the weekend, uploaded videos of some dairy products been uploaded by some persons into a vehicle and been supervised by some custom officers.

Captioning the video, the journalist writes: “Good afternoon, @CustomsNG, in this @fijnigeria video are 600 cartons of chicken and turkey, smuggled into Lagos last night by ‘Sunday Ibadan’ (pictured), IBD Dende’s right hand man, after securing the nod of Hussein Ejigbunu, Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit Zone A — a man whose media footprints is littered with announcements of smuggled goods intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service.

“Can you now see why I’ve repeatedly said all those publicly-announced seizures are goods belonging to smugglers who didn’t pay the right people in Customs? Specifically, these chicken and turkey cartons smuggled to Lagos overnight were loaded onto Toyota Avalon vehicles at Ohunbe and driven to Papa, for onward movement into Lagos. The cartons are ‘just’ 600 because of the discreetness necessitated by my recent writings; just two months ago, this would have been up to 10,000 bags per day. Anyway, Nigerians like to know: when will you stop misleading the public with PR and propaganda, bandying humongous IGR figures about, when the biggest smugglers are in cahoots with your most senior officers?”

This revelation has sparked social media reactions and some netizens took to their X accounts to berate the Nigerian Customs authorities for their corruption. The African Examiner gathers some of their thoughts below:
@MissPearls writes: “Yesterday, Fisayo said he was taking a break, today he’s served breakfast, lunch and maybe dinner loading. Fire on gallant soldier.”
@Esteembehemoth writes: “Is it not unfortunately Interesting how the government has paid a blind eye to all these expose this young man has been doing for weeks? What does that tell you about the current state of this country?”
@AdamsOmoboriowo writes: “If the CGC of @CustomsNG isn’t part of this smuggling scheme, one will expect that heads by now should have started rolling, but instead of heads to roll the customs officers are growing in confidence, operating in a way that, no one can question them. It’s indeed a slap on our faces that men who should defend our borders are the ones perpetrating the smuggling activities. This is sad!”

@Chimacoeche writes: “Good afternoon @CustomsNG, it seems the rate of smuggling goods into the country now is at its peak. What is going on in that border?”
@Chimacoeche writes: “Good afternoon @CustomsNG, it seems the rate of smuggling goods into the country now is at its peak. What is going on in that border?”
@olumidecapital writes: “This is a nightmare…… and partly explains the economic leakages and porous state of borders.”@Chimacoeche writes: “Omo! APC has uselessed this country. They will keep deceiving you to be patient, that they are having sleepless nights. Is this not a sleepless night? Keep being patient, Nigeria has been divided into Bands now. Band A, B, C, D, .…..Z. Sleepless night indeed!”
@AdamsOmoboriowo writes: “The way IBD Dende bragged in that video and even sued FIJ despite the damming evidence against him, shows he his friends with top criminals in the country hopefully nemesis will catch up with them one day.”
@Swagberg writes: “There’s too much illegalities going on behind scenes in importation business in this country.”
@akureketical_ writes: “The fact that this people are still doing business as usual not caring about everything going on goes to show you how powerful and deep they are into this corrupt practices.”