Ifedayo Adeniyi
Ogun Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has called the state chapter of the National Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN) to partner with federal government in fighting the menace of smuggling in the country.
The Customs Area Comptroller, Ogun 1 Area Command, Dera Nnadi made the call while playing host to the State Executive members of NYCN, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Command's headquarters in Idiroko.
Nnadi, pleaded with the youth leaders to leverage on their positions to educate youths of the state not only on the menace of smuggling, but also on other cross bother crimes for which Ogun State has been tagged as a war zone in the FG's efforts at actualising the objectives of growing the nation's economy.
Led by their State chairman, Comrade Abdul -Jabar Ayelaagbe, the NYCN had earlier appealed to the NCS leadership in Ogun 1 Command to prevail on its operatives to desist from the habit of "indiscriminate firing within towns", each time they were on the trail of smugglers who may have escaped into their towns in the Ogun West axis of the state.
Ayelaagbe in his address explained that indiscriminate shooting of firearms within the towns by NCS anti-smuggling operatives have always resulted in the death of innocent souls, a situation which he said the smugglers usually take advantage of to escape.
Responding to their demands, Nnadi, who appreciated the concerns of the youth, however, stated that Customs and the the federal government would appreciate the youths of the state by partnering with the Service towards actualising the objectives of eradicating smuggling activities in the state.
With specific reference to the claim that smuggling activities was necessitated by the unemployment, Nnadi asked the youths to take advantage of the ongoing recruitment exercise into the Nigeria Customs Service to better their careers in life, stressing that the Service always accorded high priorities to nativity of the border communities each time it is recruiting.
"The South West gave birth to NYCN in 1964 and Ogun State produced the first President of the council. It is our expectations that the Ogun State chapter of NYCN will leverage on this glorious antecedent and join NCS to fight the menace of smuggling and other cross border crimes in the state".
"We need to reiterate that Ogun State is a trade hub where legitimate trade thrives and indeed, the Customs Command is the facilitator. We wish to obtain the assurances of the great Ogun State Youths to support NCS in this quest of presenting a new face of the Gateway State"
"It is essential we enable and sustain this image in line with historical antecedent of the state as the forbearer of several aspect of our national development".
"I have no doubt that like your predecessors were known for fighting injustice and crimes in the society, you will join us to actualize this objectives .
Disclosing that the youths' visit coincided with the official launch of the additional four units of special anti - smuggling patrol Toyota Hilux vehicles donated to the command by the Controller General Customs (CGC), Ahmed Ali, Nnadi however, urged the NNYCN executives to assist in passing the message across the specialized equipment was originally meant to prevent external aggression against the country, but without any hesitation to fight somuggling activities as well.
While expressing the assuring optimisms that NCS will organize a forum to further educate greater number of Ogun youths on the need to support the Service, Comptroller Nnadi promised that his command will continually instill it in the psyche of its personnel on the need to adhere to the rules of engagement in the course of dealing with members of the, border communities, stressing that "we urge them to expose smugglers and criminals in their midst".
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