The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has revealed intentions to deploy unmanned combat aerial vehicles (spy drones) near the Seme border to monitor smugglers’ operations.
During a working visit to Seme Border Area Command on Monday, NCS Zone A Coordinator Modupe Aremu, an Assistant Comptroller General, ACG, of Customs, revealed this. The decision to employ drones to monitor the border, according to Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, will reduce person-to-person contact while also making the job faster and more efficient.
“My trip in Zone A comes to a conclusion with a Seme command visit, and I must applaud all of the commands; they account for over 80% of NCS revenue collection, and they should keep up the good work.
“During my tour of all commands, I observed that all of the officers are performing admirably, but that they may yet improve. And I’m warning them not to relax on the job because they should expect unscheduled visits from the Zonal Coordinator.
“Also, the N300 billion end-to-end automation contract that is about to start is about Information and Communication Technology connectivity; when it comes on board, we will have electronic signatures and drones monitoring the border,” he added.
Mrs Aremu was especially pleased with the combined border post buildings, which were inaugurated on October 23, 2018. It ushered in a new era of integrated border management, she said. “This is a one-stop-shop, and from what the comptroller has shown me, it is what is done elsewhere; it is really commendable that we have it here in Nigeria,” she said.
Nigeria, like every other country in the world, has had its fair share of border issues, with smuggling of products posing a serious threat to the country’s security and economy.
The Nigerian Customs Service did not say what kind of surveillance drones it planned to use to monitor its borders, but the sort used by European countries and the United States can identify pictures even in the dark and can survey large areas at any time of day.
