As border crimes persist in the nations boundaries, the Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) says emerging border crimes were threatening Customs operations.
The Comptroller stated this while briefing newsmen in his office  to mark the end of  a Three-day Global Conference on Fragile Borders, organised by the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
The WCO was established in 1952 as the Customs Co-Operation Council (CCC), specifically as an independent, intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations.
Ali said although the primary function of Customs was to generate revenue and facilitate trade, heightened insecurity around the borders had made it imperative to be adequately equipped to work effectively.
Ali, who is the Vice Chairman of the West and Central Africa (WCA) region of WCO, thanked the Organisation for giving Nigeria the opportunity to host the conference, describing it as an honour.
Noting that the dangerous trends around the borders were increasing by the day, he said: “We are inundated by this fragile border issue in the gulf of Guinea and other neighbouring countries.
“Unfortunately, Customs is a hard hit because of the quest to rid our borders of smugglers and other border criminals”, Ali said.
He stated further that “smugglers, for instance, have become very deadly and some of our gallant officers have lost their lives in the process of trying to stop their nefarious activities.
“We have also lost properties over time and this is because these smugglers use dangerous weapons to try to deter our officers from carrying out their responsibilities.
“So, it will be foolhardy to confront such a dangerous group of people without being adequately equipped”.
Hammed Ali said the development had become dire in some border areas adding that Customs was forced to suspend operations in those places they had been declared “fragile”.
“This is a critical matter that requires needed attention and this is because if there is no security, there will be no movement of goods and services and that will affect revenue generation.
“There is a need, therefore, for total overhaul of the service in some countries because Customs officers do not carry arms in those countries.
“That ought to change now that there is so much insecurity around us.
“One of the ways we are working to ensure that  Customs stays ahead of these criminals is the e-Customs platform”, he said.
Also Speaking, Secretary-General, WCO, Dr Kunio Mikuriya, said there was a need for relevant stakeholders to collaborate for better performance.
Mikuriya said WCO is a 184-member worldwide organisation in which Nigeria plays an active role, was concerned about the spate of insecurity.
He said the time had come for Customs to go beyond mere revenue generation to paying attention to security matters, adding that “without security at the borders we cannot effectively collect revenue”.
He also said there was a need for data sharing, research and development, intelligence gathering and deployment of technology in the whole exercise.
The Secretary said WCO was working out an action plan to help tackle the issue of insecurity, particularly as it affects Customs.
Today, the WCO represents 182 Customs administrations across the globe that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade.
As the global centre of Customs expertise, the WCO is the only international organisation with competence in Customs matters and can rightly call itself the voice of the international Customs community”.

The Theme of the conference was, “Enabling Customs in Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations”.
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