Isa Umar Gusau & Mustapha Isah Kwaru
6 September 2008
interview
Maiduguri — Ahmadu Baaba rose to the rank of an Assistant Comptroller in the Nigeria Customs before he was retired in 2004.
Baaba alleged that he was forcefully retired for refusing a syndicated bribe to allow smuggled items into the country. He also narrated how he lost his left eye to a robbery gang on his way back from an official assignment and his quest for justice, among other issues. Excerpts:
Weekly Trust: We would like to know when you joined the Nigeria Customs Service and the positions you held.
Ahmadu Baaba: I joined the Nigeria Custom Service as a Superintendent of Customs in 1989 on transfer of service; I grew through the ranks to become a chief Superintendent in 1993 and then I went on to become an Assistant Comptroller in 1999. I served at the cargo airport, Lagos, Sokoto Command, Kikiri Lighter Terminal, Edo State Command and then Borno/Yobe Command was my last posting.
WT: We gathered that in the course of your work, you lost an eye? what really happened?
Baaba: Yes, I was attacked by suspected armed robbers, who shot at me while serving at the Edo State Command. The incident happened when I was coming back from my office around 7pm on March 5, 2003. I was coming from Guinness Nigeria Limited on a surveillance visit because at that time, they used to transfer some consignments from Benin to Aba, if there was any document issued to them, I would need to find out. After the incident, I was laying down on the ground through out the day till morning when one journalist came and met me and asked me what happened he went back to office and reported the matter. My people later came and took me to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital where I was hospitalised for two weeks before I was referred to the National Eye Hospital, Kaduna where a surgery was carried out on my forehead to remove the bullets and in the process, I lost one eye.
WT: Who sponsored the treatment?
Baaba: To my surprise, the Customs till date did not give me a kobo for the treatment. They actually sent a letter of commiseration and that was it. One Honourable Justice K. B Akaahs of the Court of Appeal and his wife fed me throughout my stay in the hospital in Benin. Then an Assistant Comptroller General D.B. Gwari, took care of some of my bills from his personal pocket, my brother, Justice Alkali Baaba of the Court of Appeal in Kaduna paid for my treatment at the eye hospital in Kaduna. My younger brother, former Secretary to Yobe State Government (SSG), Baba Baaba along with my other brothers and sisters and one Barrister Isa Baba stood firmly by me throughout my travails.
WT: After the treatment, did you resume work?
Baaba: Yes, I applied for transfer to Yobe or Borno due to what happened to me. So, my request was granted and I was transferred to Borno/Yobe Command. When I assumed office, I was assigned to head the Administration Unit after the eye problem. Then one day, my aide came and told me that he saw my name on the notice board that I must go to Bauchi and attend medical board examination to ascertain my health status and verify whether I can continue with the job or not. When I went for the examination, the former Comptroller General of NCS, Mr. Buba Gyang, while serving as Assistant Comptroller General, told me that report from my area told them that I could not see. I told him that it was not true. I told him 'Oga even though I lost one eye, I don't have problem with my sight as I drove myself from Maiduguri to Bauchi alone in my car and it is very difficult for somebody who cannot see to do that.' There were some medical doctors there who tested my eyes to ascertain whether I can see or not, I was cleared. Normally, when you undergo a medical board test, you are supposed to be issued with the result of the test whether you can continue or not. This was not done to me. I was never given any report. I returned and was deployed to Banki border, but then something happened between me and my then comptroller.
WT: What happened?
Baaba: The problem was on passage of cotton through the border into Nigeria. On November 27, 2004, our then state comptroller at that time named K.B Yusuf, sent an officer to me in the morning with some money inside a bag telling me that if a trailer conveying cotton arrives, I should allow it to pass as they have already finished and that the money he sent to me was my own share. I refused to take it and I sent the money back to him.
WT: Did you know the amount of money offered to you?
Baaba: No, I don't know. I didn't open the bag because I was not ready to accept it. So, on November 24, 2004, the cotton started coming. At that time, I was leaving the place to attend to a pressing family issue, so, I directed my 2-IC not to allow anything cross the border but later, I learnt that the comptroller gave contrary directives to my 2-I C and the goods passed without paying duties.
WT: But since you are privy to what was going to happen, why didn't you stay back to ensure that the cotton was not smuggled into the country?
Baaba: Well, at that time, I had a serious family issue I must attend to.
I wanted to wait no matter the risk involved but I just had to leave. Besides that, I was an Assistant Comptroller, my boss could use my junior officers, any way.
WT: What then happened after that incident?
Baaba: I was immediately transferred from Banki to Maiduguri on Monday, November 29, 2004 to act as 2IC Administration. So, when I came to Maiduguri, I was never given any assignment. Every day I came to office, I would just stay in the conference room. Then on December 27, 2004, I just went to the comptroller's office to say hello because it was after Christmas. Then the Comptroller asked, 'Ba'aba, why are you wearing Customs uniform,' I replied 'oga what happened? He said 'you are a retired officer.' I said 'oga, I don't know, but where is my letter of retirement?' he said, 'I don't care you go to Bauchi or Abuja to collect your letter." But I asked him whether that was the procedure? My colleagues who were retired were served with their letters honourably in Maiduguri. So, I wondered why should my own be different? So, the Comptroller said he doesn't want to see me in Customs house. So that was how I left the service on December 27, 2004 without and Customs document or retirement letter, it was just a verbal statement that I was retired and my salary was stopped. So, I later wrote a letter to him I said 'oga you are representing the customs here, where is my retirement letter or was it because of the Banki bribe case that was why I was suffering like that?' but there was no response from him and the letter was copied to our zonal office in Bauchi, Comptroller General (CG), the then Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commision (ICPC), but there was no response from them. The only response I received came from the ICPC which said we should wait for the response of the CG which never came. So, in March 2005, I engaged the services of a lawyer and wrote another letter to the CG telling him that my salary was stopped and I was sent away from office without a retirement letter. In October of that year, the lawyer wrote another letter reminding them about what happened to the retirement letter. Still, there was no response from the NCS. They then responded on January 12th, 2006, I was called from my house by the Area Comptroller, one Maazi Femi, who called me to sign my retirement letter which I did honourably. My worry is, why issue me retirement a letter in 2006, after stopping my salary since October 2004? For goodness sake, when is my retirement date? Why was my retirement letter held up to 2006? These are some of the questions that made me to go to the Federal High Court, Maiduguri, to contest the retirement. However, I accepted it in good fate but I want to know why they should stop my salary in 2004 and issue me a retirement letter in 2006.
WT: How many years did you put into service in the NCS before your retirement?
Baaba: Well, I started working with the Chad Basin Development Authority in 1975; from there, my service was transferred to the NCS in 1989, that means I spent 29 years in service.
WT: What do you want from the Customs now?
Baaba: I have already gone to court asking for a 15-months salary from the NCS, then the judgment said I was only entitled to two-months salary that because my Comptroller told me about my retirement on December 27, 2004, verbally that I was retired.
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