Two prominent Customs anti-smuggling Chiefs recently engaged in handing over and taking over ceremony in furtherance to the nation’s security pursuit via the fight against economic sabotage. While the indefatigable Comptroller IK Oladeji moves to the Operation Whirlwind, Comptroller Mohammed Shuaibu departs Ogun 1 Command, Idiroko to lead the FOU Zone A as its new Area Controller
By Innocent Chukwu
Both men have been acknowledged as the biggest threat to all forms of smuggling activities in the South west geopolitical zone in the recent times. Comptroller IK Oladeji reportedly surpassed anti-smuggling successes of his predecessors at the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, Lagos just barely one year in office as the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the anti-economic sabotage Command.
Comptroller Oladeji, as the CAC at the FOU Zone A, is reputed to have come, seen and dealt ruthlessly with smuggling activities and achieved a near conquest of the scourge with ostensible record. Consequently, the Customs management found him qualified and capable of joining the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Whirlwind team to combat smugglers in Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) across the land borders.
The redeployment of Comptroller Oladeji to the critical Whirlwind team is not unconnected with the surge in the smuggling of the PMS through the borders. Oladeji is expected to deploy his ingenuity and wealth of experience to replicate his achievements at the FOU Zone A in the Whirlwind team as the second in command to Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) Hussein Ejibunu. While he superintended the affairs of the FOU, Comptroller Oladeji’s unique approach to waging the war against smuggling in the zone helped the Command to record envious successes. On many occasions, elephant tusks, pangolin scales, arms and ammunition, hard drugs, hundreds of thousands of bags of rice seizures through sting operations among others worth billion of Naira are credited to Oladeji’s astuteness in national security.
He has since handed over the mantle of leadership of FOU Zone A to another high-profile anti-smuggling czar, Mohammed Shuaibu. Comptroller Shuaibu is described as a gentle but no-nonsense leader who has a track record of non-tolerance for economic sabotage within the South west zone. His stint at the Ogun 1 Command, Idiroko in Ogun State saw the Command cracking with seizures and revenue generation.
Comptroller Shuaibu is sound in intelligence, communication ability, professionalism as well as in relationships and bridge building which helped the Ogun 1 Command under his watch to excel.
One important attribute of the two Comptrollers-Oladeji and Shuaibu-is that they are acclaimed men of peace. This attribute stems from the fact that both Customs top shots conduct their anti-smuggling activities without confrontation and bloodshed. Oladeji vowed that he would not tolerate any scandal associated with the killing of any citizens by the officers under him in the course of waging the war against smuggling at FOU. The vow was upheld until his recent redeployment. According to him, no anti-smuggling activities are worth the life of any citizen of the country.
Comptroller Shuaibu, on his part, is never a reckless security expert. He tolerates no recklessness from any officers that would lead to confrontation and bloodshed. His strength lies in his friendliness with critical stakeholders. He dutifully rallies the support of the supporting allies, including traditional rulers, the youths, religious leaders and community leaders to roundtable meetings where each of these allies contribute willingly because they estimate that Shuaibu has inestimable respect and regard for them. Since his time at the Operation Border Drill and Idiroko, Comptroller Shuaibu has remained an advocate of intelligence-driven operations devoid of casualties. He is adjudged a highly successful security Chief.
His coming to the FOU to take over from Oladeji, whom he has deep-seated respect for, is regarded as a big and well-deserved honour to him. In the meantime, Comptroller Shuaibu has committed to building on the successful outing of Oladeji to bring smuggling activities in the South west to barest minimum. Those who know Comptroller Shuaibu intimately are saying that smugglers should brace up for the worst nightmare of their life.
