The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to urgently investigate the Nigerian Customs for alleged bribery, corruption and forgery.

In a petition forwarded to the anti-graft commission and signed by CSNAC’s chairman, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, the coalition said it is demanding that a full scale investigation be launched into the activities of NCS in view of its alleged strong embrace of corruption, bribery and forgery.

With reference to a special investigative report of the 31st of December, 2015, published by an online newspaper, TheCable, the coalition said the news medium comprehensively reported how the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) is a citadel of corruption, forgery and bribery.

“The undercover investigator rigorously dissected the degree of corruption that is being perpetrated at every level of operations (ranging from importing to clearing) at the Ports in Apapa, in particular.

“His findings revealed series of sharp practices involving men of the service, other borders and security agencies, the clearing agents, and banks leading to massive short-changing of government revenue,” the petition reads in part.

CSNAC noted that the report concluded that fighting corruption in the Nigeria Customs Service is not exactly about sacking the ‘you will survive, I will survive’ officer or the N500 bribe-taking soldier, or the your-machine-is-undervalued bribe-seeking releasing officer. It is purely about enthroning a custom of institutional probity, about instituting a corruption-intolerant system as well as having technological revolution, rather sticking with the medicine-after-death approach of sacking corrupt officers.

Accordingly, “CSNAC is therefore by this petition demanding that a full scale investigation be launched into the activities of NCS in view of its strong embrace of corruption, bribery and forgery, as well as, the prosecution of any of the other agencies found to be participating directly or indirectly in this acts of national sabotage.

“This will go a long way in serving as deterrent and will also send a strong message to would be economic saboteurs that Nigeria is no longer a haven for such criminal economic activities and that our economy will no longer be left at the mercy of corrupt officers.”

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