Customs commissions 18 creek boats in Rivers

The Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd), on Thursday commissioned 18 creek patrol boats in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The commissioning of the boats is part of efforts by the federal government to rid the country’s creeks and coastal areas of all criminal activities, including piracy, oil bunkering, theft, illegal refining, armed robbery and kidnapping.

The boats commissioned consist of nine logistic support boats and nine units of gunboats. The parts of the boats are said to be armoured, which makes them bullet and shock-proof. They are also flat, which makes them able to access the creeks even when the water has receded to shallow levels.

Col. Ali said the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) tapped into the ingenuity of a Nigerian company, SEWA, to design, construct and build the magnificent boats.

He said they were built to a world standard specification and they can compete with similar boats.

“As we commission these boats, which will be deployed for the southern waters (the Eastern and Western Marine Commands), I urge our marine operatives to use them judiciously in the interest of the nation,” he said.

“Let me state here that even with the best of working tools, NCS efforts will not yield maximum output, if Nigerians for whom we work, do not give us needed cooperation. I, therefore, call on well-meaning individuals and organisations to give the Service credible information that will enable interception and seizures of smuggled items.”