The bizarre drama which played out last week at the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) headquarters, Abuja, when an Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC1), Nura Dalhatu, promoted himself to the rank of Deputy Comptroller General and then invaded the office of the Controller General of Customs (CGC) Hammed Ali, to take over as the new boss; has been seen by many as comic.
The Spokesman of Customs, Mr. Jospeh Attah has also stated that Dalhatu is mentally ill. The allegedly ill officer who claimed to be carrying out presidential orders has since been arrested, but the event that transpired leaves a lot of unanswered questions about the Service especially on the questionable character of all the officers who had seen Dalhatu adorn DCG rank and allowed him match straight to the CG’s office.
What if Dalhatu had the intention to murder the CG, would the officers have allowed this happen? Why did Dalhatu have sane officers around him smiling as he marched proudly to the CG’s office? The CG’s office in Abuja is upstairs with officers around as well as those manning the two entry points to the CG’s office; these officers know the six DCGs yet they allowed a mentally derailed man access to their boss.
There are only six DCGs in the Customs Service, so how did Dalhatu get access to the highly classified DCG rank? Who provided this rank and how did it get into the hands of an alleged mentally derailed man?
How many mentally derailed persons have the temerity and meticulousness to adorn neatly pressed and well-starched uniforms?
Sources say that as he came in, officers were saluting him because he was wearing that rank. Perhaps one can forgive the officers for being conned, how about Dalhatu’s public post sometime in May, when he posted on his Facebook wall that he had been directed by the President to take over from CG Hameed Ali? Why didn’t the Customs, especially the national spokesperson move to correct this fallacious post by Dalhatu since May? When did Customs officers begin announcing their new ranks by themselves? When the Facebook become the official platform to disclose such information?
There was approximately five weeks between Dalhatu’s Facebook post and his actions to oust CG Ali; what did the Customs officers who saw this post do about it?
Dalhatu entered the CG’s office, sat in the waiting room and expected the CG to handover to him. ‘Mentally ill’ doesn’t explain these actions. This was a clear-cut plan by some officers of the Customs Service to ridicule the Customs boss and the CG should ‘beware of dogs’.
This is one issue that shouldn’t be treated lightly. Heads should roll; officers should be suspended or dismissed. Ali as well as the public deserves to know the truth.
Ali may not enjoy the wide support of his officers as he thinks; he must watch his back!
