Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says that effective collaboration among federal agencies, including the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), have made vehicle smuggling a less lucrative business.
Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone 10 (comprising Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States) Dr Kayode Olagunju, stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Area Commander of the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) in Sokoto.
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In a press release signed by the Acting Zonal Public Education Officer of the FRSC, RC Aminu Alhaji Sokoto, Olagunju revealed that such collaborations were done through the Nigeria Custom Service, (NSC) Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) and state revenue boards, which made registering such vehicles without paying appropriate fees, difficult.
“Vehicles on which custom duties have not been paid are detected at the point of registration and owners of such vehicles are referred back to the Customs for payment of the required duties, thus the idea of short-changing the government is defeated,” Olagunju, an Assistant Corps Marshal had explained.
The ZCO stressed the need for continuous collaboration between the FRSC and NCS in the three states of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara.
In a remarks, the Area Commander of the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) in Sokoto, Comptroller Umar Gimba underscored the efforts of his men in thwarting the efforts of smugglers in the Zone.
He noted the importance of collaboration between FRSC and NCS in the areas of intelligence gathering, blocking of revenue leakages and general improvement in national security.
The Zonal Commanding Officer also visited the Assistant Inspector General of Police in the zone, AIG Mohammed Mustafa and the Dr Kayode Olagunju, where he emphasized effective synergy among security agencies as critical for national security.
ACM Olagunju appreciated the cooperation of the police in the Corps’ efforts to evolve a better road culture in the Zone, and called for further collaboration.
He disclosed that the roles of FRSC include intelligence gathering, since many of the crimes are committed on the road, while other crime scenes are also accessed through the roads or the use the roads by criminals as get away routes.
On his part, AIG Mustafa appreciated the efforts of FRSC in making Nigerian roads safe and stated that the task was a collective responsibility.
He called on all security agencies to further strengthen their collaborative efforts as bickering and rivalry will only lead to gaps in providing good safety and security for the citizens.
The duo agreed to work together and foster better relationship between the police and FRSC. The collaboration will include joint operations and public enlightenment activities to enhance protection of lives and property of citizens.