Ali begins cleansing, fires 17 officers for drug addiction, forgery

In line with his primary assignments which include revenue generation, fighting corruption in the service and reforming Customs for the better, Comptroller general of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali weekend fired 17 junior officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) from Service for offences ranging from drug addiction, certificate forgery, theft and absence from duty from January to September 2016.

The appointments of two other officers have been terminated for absence from duty while one officer was retired for drug addiction.

These disciplinary measures were taken after series of investigations and deliberations by the disciplinary committee and recommendations were made to the Management.

A statement issued by the Public Relations officer of the Service, Mr. Wale Adeniyi disclosed that “Investigations into offences committed by the officers in the senior category are now being concluded. Officers found guilty are expected to face similar stiff penalties”.

A top Customs official in Lagos who pleaded anonymity said more officers will be sacked when the heat gets to senior cadre as investigations will continue considering rising petitions and discoveries.

It would be recalled that Comptroller general of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali had on his appointment made it clear that his reform will deepen discipline and show bad eggs the way out.

Few months ago, he had compelled all senior officers to go to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), to declare their assets and this exercise received serious compliance across all the Customs Command.