Senate Committee Warns Against Economic Sabotage At Sea Ports

The Senate Joint Committee investigating loss of revenue and financial leakages in the Nigeria Customs Service has warned against the existence of a cabal in the seaports.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs, Senator Hope Uzodinma revealed that the said cabal is deliberately defrauding the country of trillions of Naira.

He said this during an investigative hearing on financial leakages in the Nigeria Customs Service.

According to Mr Uzodinma, preliminary findings by his committee showed evidence that a group of unpatriotic persons have brazenly constituted themselves into a cabal to cause economic sabotage at the nation’s sea ports.

He explained that the cabal is abusing and violating the foreign exchange issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria, engaging in incorrect classification and under valuing vessels coming into the country.

“It is a common knowledge that the infractions are bound in daily transactions at our nation’s entry and exit points. Commercial banks otherwise called the authorized dealers, shipping companies, terminal owners and operators who connive at ease with some officials to defraud our dear nation in trillions of Naira.

“Preliminary evidence before us suggests that this is the case in virtually all our borders. Indeed, initial evidence at our disposal clearly suggests that there is a cabal and the cabal has in recent memory defrauded the nation of well-over 30 trillion Naira,” he stated.