Customs’ probe: Reps threaten to arrest Gbong Gwom, NCS boss, others
By John Ameh, Abuja PUNCH | Apr.09.2009

The House of Representatives Committee on Customs investigating the alleged poor performance of the Nigerian Customs Service, on Wednesday, threatened to issue a warrant for the arrest of the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Buba Gyang.

The committee is investigating the “State of the Nigeria Customs Service and the Poor Performance of its Statutory Duties and Functions.” Gyang is the immediate past Comptroller-General of the NCS. The current CG, Dr. Bernard Nwadialor, is also on the list of those likely to be summoned.

Others include Alhaji Ahmed Mustapha and all other past comptrollers-general of the service. The committee gave them up till Thursday, April 16, 2009 to respond to inquiries it said it had forwarded to them in respect of the investigation.

Similarly, the committee named the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory; Mobil Producing Unlimited; Shell Petroleum Development Company; and Texaco Nigeria Limited as key stakeholders that had ignored its request for submission of memoranda.

Speaking at the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday, the Chairman of the committee, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, alleged that efforts made so far to get the affected personalities and companies to submit memoranda to it had been frustrated.

In the case of Nwadialor, Dogara stated that though his office submitted some documents, it still withheld certain “vital documents” from the committee. Dogara recalled that the committee had earlier extended the period for the submission of memoranda to March 20 due to “pleas from interested individuals and some stakeholders” who were interested in participating in the investigation.

Despite the extension, he said that the listed personalities and organisations failed to submit the memoranda. As a result, the committee invited their heads on Thursday, April 2, 2009 to explain why they were unable to make submissions to it. He said, “Stakeholders who still want this nation to relapse into its past ruinous culture of impunity, refused to turn up at the meeting and are yet to make submissions to the committee in spite of numerous reminders.”

The committee warned that if the memoranda were not submitted by April 16, it would invoke Section 89 (I) C of the 1999 Constitution and Section 4 (a) (b) of the Legislative Houses (powers and Privileges) Act against them. Section 89 (1c) states, “For the purposes of any investigation under section 88 of this constitutional and subject to the provisions thereof, the Senate or the House of Representatives or a committee appointed in accordance with section 62 of this Constitution shall have power to: (c) summon any person in Nigeria to give evidence at any place or produce any document or other thing in his possession or under his control.”

Back to News Index