Joyce Mmereole Okoli
The Customs Area Controller of Apapa Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, has declared that smugglers will never outwit his officers, stressing that intelligence-led operations and uncompromising enforcement remain the command’s strongest tools against illicit trade.
Olomu gave the assurance on Monday when he hosted Dr. Martin Iluyomade, Director of Inspection and Enforcement at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), who also chairs the Federal Task Force on Fake and Substandard Drugs.
According to the Controller, smugglers’ renewed antics, including fake registration numbers and false declarations, have consistently failed due to the Command’s vigilance. He reaffirmed Apapa’s commitment to the Memorandum of Understanding between Customs and NAFDAC, designed to block the entry of fake drugs, unwholesome foods, and other prohibited items.
“We are committed to not just seizing contraband but arresting the perpetrators. Removing the human element from the smuggling chain is crucial to protecting Nigerians and deterring others from attempting these crimes,” Olomu stated.
Citing the recent seizure of 32 containers of unwholesome goods personally supervised by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Olomu said the handover to NAFDAC was proof of the synergy between both agencies.
Dr. Iluyomade, visibly impressed, hailed Olomu’s leadership, describing him as “the best Controller Apapa Command ever had.” He praised the Command’s “life-saving seizures,” stressing that while guns may kill a few people, fake drugs and harmful foods could “wipe out an entire nation.”
He also appealed for tighter security of seized containers before NAFDAC evacuates them, commending Apapa Command for earning its recent accolades as the best-performing customs formation.