The Senate has asked the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali, to appear “unfailingly” in his “appropriate” uniform next Wednesday over the service’s action against owners of vehicles not duly registered with the service.
The Senate summon, Thursday, followed a motion by Dino Melaye (APC – Kogi) who drew the attention of his colleagues to the refusal of the Customs to suspend the plan against vehicles without duty payment.
The Senate had on Tuesday asked the Customs, NCS, to halt the action; but Mr. Melaye presented a report by The Sun newspapers on Thursday, reporting Mr. Ali to have dared the Senate and said the NCS has its own rules which allow the planned clamp down.
A number of the Senators, including Kabiru Marafa (APC-Zamfara), Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP-Taraba), Aliyu Wamako (APC-Sokoto), and Solomon Olamilekan (APC-Lagos), supported the call that Mr. Ali, a retired army colonel who has refused to wear the customs uniform, appear before the Senate. The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided on Thursday, then issued the ruling.
Lanre Tejuoso (APC-Ogun) claimed Customs operatives “killed two persons” in his constituency, adding “we must look into the activities of the Customs.”
The lawmakers said disregard for Senate resolutions meant “indirect disrespect to the President”.
Mr. Ekweremadu said such impunity must be fought along with corruption.
But the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, cautioned his colleagues against acting on newspaper reports.
Mr. Lawan, however, also said the Senate must be respected and any official summoned must appear “within the stimulated time.”
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