The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Tincan Island Command, has handed over $54,230 bribe offered to the command by importers of tramadol tablets to the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The Customs Area Comptroller, Tincan Island Port, Apapa, Comptroller Dera Nnadi on Tuesday handed over the funds to Lagos Zonal Commander of EFCC, Michael Wekas.
The EFCC confirmed the hand over in a Tuesday statement.
Speaking during the hand over, Wetkas assured the NCS of further investigation into an alleged bribery incident.
Wetkas, who thanked the leadership of the NCS for the sustained collaboration between the two agencies, assured of greater support in the fight against corruption and fraud-related offences.
Speaking earlier, Nnadi said: “We always look forward to collaborating with other agencies, one of which is the EFCC. The money we are handing over to you today is proceeds of crime that emanated from the import of illicit drugs. An attempt to illegally release the drugs was resisted by the Customs officials. There was also further attempts by the importers and their collaborators to compromise officers of the NCS by bribing them with the sum of Fifty Four Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirty United States Dollars, which was resisted”.
He also disclosed that, “The importer, agents as well as the containers have been handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, for further investigation”.
Nnadi also used the occasion to seek more robust collaboration with the EFCC as well as other law enforcement agencies in the fight against smuggling within the command.
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