When William Shakespeare looked at the horrible, inexplicable, incomprehensible and disastrous events that were happening in the English society of his time, his conclusion as recorded in his classical play, Julius Caesar, was that “either there is civil strife in heaven or the earth, too saucy with the gods, incenses insurrection”.
In Nigeria of today, nothing could be truer than this. The eyes have seen and the ears have heard unimaginable things that should not, ordinarily, happen in a sane society. Again, this is a country where a group of bandits could go and cart away school children from their residence and for more than two years now, their where-about is not known. In this part of the world, normal human beings arm themselves, go to churches which are considered God’s holy places, and kill people who have gathered to worship and pray.
Perhaps, Nigerians have seen or heard of worse things but the seizure recently by the Nigerian Customs Service of 49 boxes loaded with 661 pieces of pump action rifles imported by a ‘patriotic’ Nigerian into the country from China was just as mind-blowing and head-whirling as it could be.
Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, who gave this hint, said the weapons were falsely declared as steel doors and other merchandise goods but after physical examination, it was found to contain 49 boxes with 661 pump action rifles. According to him, the arms were concealed in a 40 feet container with the number PONU/825914/3 cleared to have been carrying steel doors and goods. The truck was intercepted on patrol along Mile 2 in Lagos.
“The roving team of the NCS Federal Operations Unit, while on information patrol, intercepted a Mack Truck with registration number BDG 265XG conveying a 1/40 container with number PONU /825914/3. In the declaration of the items in the container, the importer concealed these weapons and declared them as steel doors,” Ali said.
Continuing, he said: “The truck was immediately taken to the premises of the FOU where physical examination revealed 49 boxes containing a total number of 661 pieces of pump action rifles concealed with steel doors and other merchandise goods.”
He explained that not only do the rifles fall under absolute prohibition, its importation is even more unacceptable considering the present state of insecurity in the country and disclosed that three suspects, Oscan Okafor 51; Mahmud Hassan, 56 and Sadique Mustapha 28 have been arrested in connection with the ‘contraband’ while investigation has commenced to fish out those involved in the importation of the consignment.
Ali also disclosed that the officers involved in the clearance of the container who, he said, are currently in detention at the FOU would be investigated and prosecuted for allowing such consignment exit the port.
Very interesting story the comptroller general has told and, in his assessment, a very big feat his service has achieved. But it is all balderdash. That unfortunate incident simply underpins the porosity of the country’s port system because it beats the imagination that a common criminal with his vicious intentions could beat all the security checks at the ports and was only intercepted several kilometers away from the port premises.
Ali said the seizure underscored the determination of the Service to enforce all laws relating to importation and exportation of goods into and out of the country thereby contributing to the economy and security of the country. No statement could be more flawed than this because it was officers of the same services that may have aided the clearing of the ‘goods’ from the ports. These same officers, Ali told the world, were now being detained at the FOU.
The Comptroller’s appeal for public assistance with information that could help the NCS perform its statutory responsibilities is as lame as it is self-defeating because it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to save one from oneself or an institution like NCS from itself. It was Customs officers that cleared the ‘goods’ from the ports, and just the same customs officers that intercepted the same ‘goods’. Habba! Ali should be told that Nigerians have grown beyond this shenanigan.
For items such as rifles which “fall under absolute prohibition” to have been successfully cleared from the port means other non-lethal items which also fall under absolute prohibition have been arriving and leaving the ports without let or hindrance and whatever doubts Nigerians had about plastic rice has now been cleared by this seizure, it has been proven that this is a country where anything is possible.
It is good news that arrests have been made including Oscan Okafor, an importer; Mahmud Haruna, a clearing agent, and Sadique Mustapha who was accompanying the consignment to its destination. But that is not enough and, of course, does not make any meaning to many Nigerians.
But apart from expanding its net to include shipping line that brought in the consignment and the agency that handled the clearing of the ‘goods’, Nigerians must be told what happens to them at the end which must be stringent and punitive enough to serve as deterrent to other people with such intensions.
At a time like this when the country is on the brinks waiting to implode, the importation of lethal weapons as deadly as pump action riffles for business, militancy, agitation for self-determination or ethno-religious cleansing should be discouraged by every means possible and anybody involved or associated with such illegal trade should face the full wrath of the law.
As a country, Nigeria has been lackadaisical in dealing with serious issues that even threaten its unity and corporate existence and this calls to mind how the past administration under former President Olusegun Obasanjo who did not see anything in the January 27, 2001 Ikeja bomb blast until much later when it dawned him that he had lost thousands of his countrymen to avoidable death.
The same attitude was exhibited by former President Goodluck Jonathan who lived in denial and self-delusion over the kidnap of over 200 Chibok school girls many of whom, till today, have not been reunited with their parents and siblings two years after the mindless and wicked act.
In the past, issues as grave as the intercepted riffles had been handled with levity, but this time around, government has to be brutal and decisive in dealing with this particular case, more so as insecurity is a major problem of the country at the moment.
Whether this is somebody’s way of preparing for the 2019 general election or freeing his people from a country where it is glaring that they are not wanted, or giving more teeth and fervour to religious extremism is out of the question. What matters and of grave concern is that a heinous crime has been committed and should be treated as such. Somebody has to a price for this or worse days endure
