Customs boss buckles, dissolves CG Strike force - removes Kirawa as head.

Apparently reacting to the consternation of forces against the CG Strike force, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali, has whittled down the powers and influence of the strike force in a major reorganisation.

In a terse circular signed by Augustine Chidi, the Deputy Comptroller in charge of Enforcement, Investigations and Inspection, Hameed Ali announced the dissolution of the notorious task force and replaced it with a decentralised one that was split into three.

Abdullahi Kirawa , the defacto head of the force was removed and redeployed to Katsina Command where he was hitherto serving before he took over the leadership of the now dismantled strike force.

According to the new structure,the ad-hoc body is now to operate on Zonal basis in Zone A (Lagos), Zone B (Kaduna) and Zone C (Owerri).

Each of the zones is headed by a Deputy Comptroller of customs.

The dissolved Strike Force, hitherto headed by Abdullah Kirawa,a Deputy Comptroller that covered the whole country was asked to handover to the newly decentralised body.

Deputy Comptroller Idris Dal, formerly of Bauchi /Gombe Command takes charge of Zone A, Deputy Comptroller Kolobe B. formerly of the Eastern Marine Command is to oversee Zone B while Deputy Comptroller Adamu A. M formerly of Western Marine Command takes charge of Zone C.

The dissolved Strike Force made seizures worth over N17b duty paid value and had recovered over N1b this year through issuance of demand notice given on consignments that underpaid duties.

The disbanded strike force has come under heavy attacks from freight forwarders who described it as a tool of harassment, intimidation, coercion and extortion.

Its activities have brought the customs boss in collision course with the aggrieved freight forwarders who demanded for its dissolution.

However, the Customs Authority has often defended the task force, describing it as the third layer of prevention and detection of cargo clearance infractions.

Observers however described the decentralisation of the body as capitulation of the Customs helmsman to the avalanche of pressure mounted by the agitating freight forwarders.

They believed that while the decentralisation of the strike force will whittle down its powers, it may also marks the beginning of its eventual wind down