House of Reps to probe Customs duties, military operations

macfranc007 November 10, 2017 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Jerrywright Ukwu

- The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate two major issues that came to its attention recently

- One is the customs duties remitted by commercial banks to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) since January

- The other is the alleged sexual harassment and shooting of a female student by a soldier in Plateau state

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the customs duties remitted by commercial banks to the CBN since January and the alleged sexual harassment and shooting of a female student by a soldier in Plateau state.

The motion on the customs duties entitled, “Need to Investigate the Customs Duties Remitted by Commercial Banks to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from January 2014 till Date” was sponsored by Honourable Jerry Alagbaoso (Imo-PDP) and 11 others.

Alagbaoso said the aim of the motion was to obtain proofs that such remittances were made.

Reps to investigate Customs duties, alleged shooting by military personnel in Plateau

The House of Representatives set to investigate Customs duties, alleged shooting by military personnel in Plateau. Photo credit: Twitter/@HouseNGR

He alleged that banks delayed remittances to government in spite of the implementation of e-payment procedure.

His words: Nearly all the service providers of the Nigeria Customs Service handed over their Build Operate and Transfer services to the personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service on December 1, 2013.

“There is a new regime of e-payment that all government revenues, such as customs duties, when paid, will be credited to the Central Bank of Nigeria almost instantly or within 24 hours.

“I am also aware that banks provide online, all the Forms M applied for by importers and so banks should not delay or hold on to government revenues, especially customs duties, in order to shore up their deposit base, liquidity or balance in their residual accounts or divert or invest them for some quick returns on investment.”

The legislator alleged that some accounting officers in the banks appeared to lose sight of the status of approved Forms M and their utilisation.

“And in some cases, they do not bear in mind the allowable period of non-utilisation just to dump the Forms M, which adversely affects the payment of full duties.

“Also some accounting officers in the banks ignore the difference between the utilisation and application of the Form M,’’ he said.

The legislator said such attitude by banks negated ‘’the CBN’s guidelines for FOREX issuance of Form M and its utilisation within an allowable prosecution or litigation period which tends to affect customs duties negatively.”

The Speaker of the assembly,Yakubu Dogara mandated the committee on Customs and Excise to carry out the probe and report back within eight weeks.

Meanwhile, the House has resolved to investigate the alleged sexual harassment and shooting of a female student by a soldier in Plateau state.

The action followed a motion jointly moved by Honourables Istifanus Gyang (Plateau-PDP) and Edward Pwajok (Plateau-APC).

Moving the motion, Gyang informed the House that on the October 19, 2017, indigenes of Sopp in Riyom local government area of Plateau state embarked on a protest against soldiers manning checkpoint in the community, who allegedly caused the death of two boys.

He added that in the course of the protest, one of the soldiers shot a 17-year-old SS1 female student of Government Secondary School, Sopp, for allegedly refusing his sexual advances.

Gyang told the assembly that he personally visited the girl in the hospital where she opened up to him about the sexual harassment and deliberate shooting by the soldier.

The lawmaker further disclosed that apart from the girl two other people, Danjuma kaze and his son, Irimiya, were also shot and were receiving treatment at Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos.

“The Military is massively engaged in internal security operations across the nation as part of the commitment of government to live up to its foremost constitutional responsibility of ensuring the wellbeing, safety and security of the citizens.

“In the process of understanding this onerous task, the military has been contending with cases of human rights abuses, some of which have attracted the attention and condemnation of Amnesty International,” he said.

On his part, co-mover of the motion, Honourable Pwajok noted that since the girl identified the soldier and was ready to testify, she should be provided security because her life was presently in danger.

The Leader of the House, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos-APC) questioned the involvement of military in the internal security of Plateau state when they were continually empowered to protect the nation from external aggregation.

He noted that if the military were to perform such duty in Plateau it would have been subject to approval of National Assembly.

The leader blamed the legislature for the gap and advocated the quick passage of a bill that would curb incessant killings by the military.

The assembly mandated its committees on Human Rights, Defence and Army to investigate the matter and report back within three weeks for further legislative action.

The motion was unanimously adopted by members when it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara. (NAN)

In another development, an Oyo state high court has given an order stopping soldiers of the 2 Division from demolishing houses in of Mesiogo Estate at Akobo area of Ibadan, Oyo state.

The residents obtained the order which also barred the soldiers from doing anything that will threaten the peace of the people.

NAF buries pilot who died in Kaduna helicopter crash on - NAIJ.com