By, Williams Charles Oluwatoyin
– Top State, Federal Government Officials, Security Agents are Complicit
Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria (CPC), over the weekend smashed a network of highly syndicated group of poisonous rice importers and suppliers in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom state.
D.G, Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Barr. Babatunde Irukera gave an explicit narration of his agency’s ordeal on his Facebook social media page, where he narrated how the whole incidence, which started over 5 months ago went. He said reports reached his office that contaminated food; especially rice was entering the market.
On receiving the information, the South-South Zonal office of CPC immediately swung into action, made seizures and stopped the distribution of already imported ones. The action did not go down well with the syndicates, who felt violated and launched counter attacks, the hunter soon became the hunted, by powerful gang of dangerous smugglers, combined with dreadful men in both intention and violence, mounting pressure on law enforcement agencies to release the seized products, but to prosecute CPC officers and informants whose cover they had blown and who were already arrested.
For the safety and protection of the Nigeria consumers, it became evident something needed to be done urgently. The CPC headquarters decided to act. It took its time in planning and launching a sting operation. After several months of surveillance, intelligence gathering with other law enforcement agencies, a sting was embarked upon.
“Once intelligence was sufficiently credible and actionable. We proceeded to carefully plan a major sting operation on the multiple locations we had intelligence, The Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hamid Ali, a fine and incredible patriot! He personally engaged his operatives across the South/South Zone and was in return conversation with me all along” Irukera said.
“We had raided 3 major locations, market operations, a depot and a warehouse of these worst excuses for human beings, apprehended about 8 of them and had under control an innumerable number of bags of rice, paraphernalia including hundreds of self printed empty bags of known brands, machines for sewing bags, scales, generators, and most of all, the worst possible rice I have ever set my eyes on” stated Irukera.
However, the syndicates rapid response crisis management apparatus, and the reach of their institutional network was awesome. Within 36 hours into the sting operation, the drama that ensued and pressure that involved officers from the police force, customs and Akwa Ibom State, purportedly from the Akwa Ibom state Judiciary and the Federal Ministry of Justice was amazing.
It took the intervention of uncompromising law enforcement officers like Assistant Comptroller of Customs Sanusi in Rivers state and Deputy Controller Charles Orbih, one Officer Abdullahi Ibrahim from Oron and the Akwa Ibom Commissioner of Police , Mr. Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, a sharp, business-like, uncompromising and fascinating cop to provide a defensive wall for the safety of CPC officials.
They demonstrated the patriotism that is uncommon and unknown. Commissioner of Police Ogunjemilusi not only resisted incredible pressure, and openly derided and officers who had started working against the interest of CPC and the people, the D.G said.
Complicit in the case is one SA to the Governor, who claimed he was acting on the instructions of the Attorney General of Akwa Ibom state, He was preventing the arrest of the suspects and the release of the seized contaminated contraband.
Sequel to the above drama was the claim by a senior female lawyer with the Federal Ministry of Justice, of the existence of a fictitious court injunction on the Saturday morning of June 23rd by words of the mouth, which was against the arrest of the suspects and the subsequent release of the contraband. This senior lawyer at the Federal Ministry of Justice, who is ought to be an Investigator of the case, being a government lawyer, was more interested in the release of the contraband, which she claimed cannot be in possession of CPC, a government agency of the government she works for. It took the intervention of the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata, to put this particular lawyer in line from sabotaging CPC’s operation.
The criminals arrested up until this moment didn’t dispute the nefariousness of their conduct or the un-wholesomeness of the rice. Some of the statements already taken are essentially confessional statements. However some statements on social media appeared to be in support of these criminals, which simply means they should be freed and contraband released, even in the face of barrages of evidence.
The position of these commentators may be due skepticism and cynicism that excessive and successive bad governance as promoted in our nation,
Irukera however, advised the public in the face of convincing evidence, to be careful in taking sides with criminality and resist the opportunity to capitalize on such an issues to discredit government.
This remained the case, even after a barrage of evidence, and even news coverage.
