Apapa Customs Vows to Stay Ahead of Smugglers, NAFDAC Applauds Life-Saving Seizures
Kathy Kyari
The Customs Area Controller of Apapa Port Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu fsi, has reaffirmed that the Command will continue to outsmart smugglers through the consistent deployment of intelligence and uncompromising enforcement aimed at stopping prohibited items from entering the country.
Olomu made this assertion on Monday, during a courtesy visit by Dr. Martin Iluyomade, Director of the Inspection and Enforcement Directorate at the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Fake, Substandard Drugs and Unwholesome Food.
According to Olomu, smugglers’ renewed tactics of using fake registration numbers and false declarations have consistently failed, thanks to the vigilance of officers at Apapa Port.
He stressed the Command’s commitment to fully implementing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Comptroller-General of Customs and the Director-General of NAFDAC, designed to prevent the smuggling of items under NAFDAC’s regulatory scope.
The Area Controller further urged NAFDAC to expedite the evacuation of containers already handed over to the agency from the port, while assuring that the Command would sustain efforts not only to seize contraband but also to arrest suspects for prosecution.
“Arresting the persons involved in the acts is a major step to demobilize the human element influence in the smuggling supply chain cycle and deter others from such illegal activities,” Olomu stated.
He emphasized that officers under his command are fully aligned with the Comptroller-General’s zero-tolerance stance on smuggling, particularly as such illicit activities could endanger lives through unsafe food, beverages, or the illegal entry of arms and ammunition.
Citing the recent seizure of 32 containers personally supervised by the Comptroller-General before being handed over to NAFDAC, Olomu described the case as proof of the smooth partnership between the two agencies and a testament to the effectiveness of their MoU.
In response, Dr. Iluyomade praised Comptroller Olomu for his uncompromising stand, describing the seizures as “life-saving.”
“You can kill one or two persons with guns, but you can kill a whole nation with fake drugs, unwholesome food, and harmful medicine. It's like those importing it are declaring war on the citizens of this country,” he said.
He further described Olomu as “the best Controller Apapa Command ever had,” recalling his own early career as a young NAFDAC employee and acknowledging that customs’ anti-smuggling operations had evolved positively over the years.
Iluyomade noted that the awards of Best Command recently earned by Apapa Customs under Olomu’s leadership were truly deserved. He also sought support in securing handed-over containers from pilferage pending NAFDAC’s evacuation process.
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