How Importer Of 661 Rifles Attempted To Bribe Customs With N8m
A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of five accused persons charged with illegal importation of 661 pump action rifles into the country on Thursday told the Federal High Court in Lagos, how the alleged importer of the weapons attempted to bribe him with N8 million.
The witness, Abdulahi Muhammad, a Chief Superintendent of Customs, also told the court that when he refused the N8 million bribe allegedly offered by Mahmud Hassan after his container, marked PONU 825914/3, that transported the guns was seized, the importer threatened to kill himself.
The accused persons: Mahmud Hassan, Oscar Okafor, Donatus Achinulo, Matthew Okoye, said to be at large, and Salihu Danjuma, were arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji by the federal government on an eight count charge of conspiracy, importation of prohibited firearms, forgery, uttering of forged documents, and bribery.
The accused persons, who were arrested on January 21, 2017, at Nigerian Port Authority in Lagos by men of the Nigeria Customs Service, were said to have brought the rifles into the country from Turkey, using a 40-feet container, which they falsely claimed contained steel doors.
The government also claimed that in order to facilitate the illegal importation, the accused allegedly forged a number of documents including a bill of lading, a Form M and a Pre-Arrival Assessment Report.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Thursday, the prosecutor, Ade Ajakaye, informed the court of an amended charge he just filed against the accused persons, he then pleaded with the court to allow the new charge to be read to them for their plea to be retaken.
The amended charge marked FHC /L/190c/2017, has the following: Hassan Trade Nigeria Limited, Mahmud Hassan, Oscar Okafor, Donatus Ezebunwa Achinulo, Mathew Okoye (at large) and Salihu Abdullahi Danjuma.
The prosecution witness, Abdullahi, while being led-in-evidence, told the court that, “on January 22, 2017, I led a patrol team called ‘Lagos Roving Team’, which was headed by Adamu Abubakar. Around 12 midnight, we sighted a container on Apapa-Mile 2 Bridge, and we intercepted it.
“As at the time of interception, the Customs Clearance document, was not given to us by the escort, this made us to suspect the container. It was when they realised that the truck is heading to Ikeja, that the escort started calling the second defendant (Mahmud), who told the escort to give us the document.
“Upon receiving the document, I went through it, three things made me to suspect the container.
“First was that, in the declaration, it was stated that the container was carrying 225 doors, and a container of 40 feet carries more than that.
Also, the origin of the container, which was Turkey, the door that comes from Turkey are security doors, not steel doors, and lastly, the Customs duty paid which was N1.170,628 million, was not enough for the clearing in my estimation.”
The witness stated further that when his team got to the 2nd Rainbow area of the Apapa-Mile 2, which is their patrol base, the second defendant (Mahmud) arrived the place and became restless, and stated that the container belongs to him and that it only contained rice.
He said: “when we got to the second rainbow, not up to five minutes after, the second defendant arrived and told us that the container is his, he also told me that he has rice in the container.
“It was then that I called the Area Comptroller (AC), Adam, and told him about the container. I also told him that Mahmud claimed to be the owner and that he had rice in it, but in the declaration, it stated steel doors as its contents.
“Then he attempted to bribe me. He offered me N500, 000, and later increased it to N8 million, I continued to listen to him and told my colleagues what he attempted to offer me. When I went back to him, he told me that if I did not take the money, he will kill himself.
“I then called my boss to report to him, and my boss said if he killed himself, I should bring the container and his corpse to him”.
The witness also told the court how the second defendant (Mahmud) led his agency to arrest the third defendant (Oscar Okafor), at Golden Tulip Hotel, Festac Town.
The matter was referred to the Directorate of State Security (DSS) in Shangisha, where both the Customs and all the defendants wrote statements.
The witness, during the cross-examination by the lawyers to the accused persons, including Danjuma Galadima, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Paul Ananaba (SAN) and Saliu Ibrahim, stated that he cannot remember the exact date that they all wrote their statements at the DSS office, as he gave conflicting date on his three statements with the following dates: March 23, 2017, January 23, 2017 and March 23, 2017.
He also stated that he did not know if the container passed through the examination at the port before it was released, adding that Mahmud Hassan was the importer of the cargo, not the third accused.
Justice Faji adjourned till tomorrow for continuation of trial of the accused persons.
In the amended charge number, all the accused persons alleged to have conspired with one another to illegally import into Nigeria, 661 Pump Action Rifles.
They were also alleged to have forged the documents which includes: two Bill of Ladings, one reads ‘Shanghai China’, as Port of Loading, instead of ‘Istanbul’, and another one which reads: ‘Steel Doors’, as the contents of the container instead of Customs’ Form M, Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) used in smuggling the said 661 rifles into the country.
In particular, one of the Customs Officials, Mahmud Hassan, was alleged to have corruptly offered the sum of N400, 000.00, to one Aliu Musa, the Examination Officer of the Federal Operation Unit of the Customs Service with an intent to prevent hundred percent search on a container marked PONU 825914/3, which was used in bringing into the country, the said arms.
Mahmud Hassan was also alleged to have corruptly given the sum of N1 million to Government officials at Apapa Port, through his colleague, Danjuma Abdulahi, in order to prevent the searching of the said container used in bringing in the 661 illegally imported Pump Action rifles.
The offences, according to the prosecutor, Kehinde Adesola Fagbemi, are contrary to, and punishable under sections 3(6), 1(14)(a)(I) 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and section 98(1) (b) of the Criminal Code Act.
