Senate Committee Lauds Seme Customs on Community Relations, Inter-Agency Synergy

Senate Committee Lauds Seme Customs on Community Relations, Inter-Agency Synergy

The Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Customs and Excise has commended the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, on its efforts towards ensuring inter-agency synergy and robust relationship with the border community and relevant stakeholders.

The Committee, led by the Chairman, Senator Francis Ade Fadahunsi MFR, gave the commendation on Tuesday, 22nd of August, 2023, when they visited the Command as part of the committee’s oversight functions in response to earlier complaints of cases of rifts between some Commands and their host communities.

The meeting had in attendance Honorable Joseph Gbenu, Chairman of Badagry West LCDA, representatives of Sister Agencies, as well as relevant Stakeholders and Youth Leaders of border communities.

Stating the purpose of the visit, Senator Fadahunsi noted that there were three petitions before the Senate alleging incessant fracas and killings of residents of the border communities by Security Agencies, including Customs, which necessitated the leadership of the Senate to mandate the ad-hoc Committee to embark on a fact-finding mission.

He said, “The reason we are here is in connection with three petitions to the Senate, not recently though, over allegations of constant and incessant killings, sporadic shootings by security agents led by Customs”.

Senator Fadahunsi was quick to note that there is a robust and healthy relationship between the Security Agencies led by Customs, Seme Area Command and the border communities, which was evident from comments and interactions at the meeting. He urged the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Dera Nnadi, to make recommendations that will foster a harmonious relationship between the government and border communities, as well as generate more revenue.

“We want you to make a serious recommendation, a very urgent and quick one so that we will not have all these issues again, So that you will be able to agree with these people”, he said.

Highlighting some of the activities of the Command, Comptroller Nnadi revealed some Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives of the Command for the host communities, which include donation of football jerseys and other sports materials to various youth groups within the border areas, donation of medicaments to Badagry General Hospital by Customs Officers Wives Association among several others.

“We are improving synergy between the Command and stakeholders, as they can attest, and we have also improved our Corporate Social Responsibilities.

He assured the committee of a continuous cordial, working relationship with all Sister Security Agencies and the border communities with a view to ensuring peace for the common good of Nigeria.