Customs Comptroller-Gen. Inde Dikko Faces Probe for Illegal Arms Deal
The stage appears set for the probe of out-going comptroller –general of the Nigeria customs service, Abdullahi Inde Dikko, who is due for retirement later this month.
The controversies that have enveloped Nigeria customs services since Abdullahi Dikko was appointed the comptroller –general by the late President Umar Musa Yar’aradua have taken another dimension following series of petitions to the presidency from stake holders.
Quite remarkably, Global Village Extra learnt of the insistence by stake holders that Abdullahi who was said to have been requesting for an extension of his tenure, not only be retired but also be probed for several frauds allegedly masterminded by him and other top customs officers during his tenure.
The probe Global Village Extra learnt centered around the alleged mismanagement and misappropriations of several billions of Naira through the various reform programs introduced by the comptroller-General.
Specifically the stake holders are accusing Inde of several under hand dealings in the destination inspection reforms, and the promotions of officers and men of the Nigeria customs services.
Besides this, Global Village Extra gathered that some interest groups have just recently petitioned the presidency and the supervisory minister, Okonjo Iweala, the minister of finance over the disappearance of seized containers from the office of the Nigerian customs.
In the petition, the interest group want the leadership of the customs probed over an alleged collaboration with importers whom they claimed have found some of Nigeria’s water way a safe route for the shipment of illegal arms and ammunitions into Nigeria and neighboring countries.
It can be recalled that a few months ago, Azin Aghajani,a member of the Iranian revolutionary Guard and Ali Jega, his Nigerian partner were tried and found guilty of smuggling weapons into Lagos, Nigeria, and were sentenced to five years in prison by a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Okechukwu Okeke.
The men were said to have without license being in control of bombs and grenades categorized as prohibited firearms under item 4 of part 1 of the schedule to the firearms Act, Cap F28, laws of the Federation of Nigeria.2004 and contrary to section 3 of the constitution.
The Nigeria customs then claimed it made seizures of 13 containers loaded with rockets and grenades shipped in from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
But in a petition to the presidency, the interest groups are claiming that the containers were 15 and not 13 which the customs authority claimed.
Indeed penultimate week, a senior customs officer was arrested with a large cache of arms and ammunition in Borno state by the Joint Task Force, JTF.
The senior customs officer according to the military Task force has been linked to the insurgence in the North Eastern parts of Nigeria.
The arrest of the officer came on the heels of the trial and conviction of an Iranian and his Nigerian counterpart, for importing arms and ammunition into Nigeria. Sources within the customs information department in Abuja told our correspondent that Abdullahi is being investigated for the disappearance of the two containers with arms and ammunition seized by the customs at the Nigeria port in Lagos.
