A businessman Ibrahim Egungbohun Dende, better known as IBD Dende, has been filmed threatening an Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC) who prevented the smuggling of his goods from Benin Republic into Nigeria.
![IBD Dende Filmed Threatening To Kill Customs Officer For Seizing His Smuggled Goods [Video]](https://media.kanyidaily.com/2024/03/01154937/IBD-Dende.jpg "IBD Dende Filmed Threatening To Kill Customs Officer For Seizing His Smuggled Goods [Video] 1")
The incident, which took place in January, was shared by Fisayo Soyombo, the founder and editor-in-chief of FIJ, on Twitter.
FIJ’s undercover investigation released in February exposed the collaboration between Customs bosses and smugglers, revealing a system where bribes are taken, and patrol teams are betrayed by leaking information about their itinerary.
In the video shared by FIJ, IBD Dende could be seen threatening a Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) official named Rotimi, who intercepted his vehicles carrying smuggled rice.
The angry businessman was heard repeatedly telling the Customs officer Rotimi, “May it never be well with you.”
FIJ subsequently confirmed that the said Rotimi is an Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC).
Despite wielding guns, the Customs officers were seen attempting to pacify Dende, urging him to calm down.
Sources confirm that the armed Customs officers seen in the video are affiliated with Dende’.
‘All the Customs officers with guns you see in those videos are his boys,” one source told FIJ.
Dende’ boasted about his connections, saying, “I have called Ejigbunu”, and ordering the receiver at the other end of the phone: “Call Wale, call Wale.”
FIJ confirms that ‘Wale’ is Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the current Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), and ‘Ejigbunu’ is Hussein Ejigbunu, Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit Zone A.
This aligns with FIJ’s exclusive report on the NCS facilitating the passage of smuggled goods from Zone A to Oja-Odan, Dende’s stronghold.
In the video, Dende’ repeatedly emphasizes his connections and authority, threatening to expose irregularities within the Customs.
“You will find out that the teeth are sharper than the knife. I will show you that I am Dende,” Dende can be heard screaming in the video, while an apparently scared Rotimi can be heard wondering: “What have I done? He is threatening to kill me.”
In the second video, Dende was heard accusing Customs officers of smuggling rice themselves while intercepting his consignment.
“I saw your boss’s trailer — four trailers that loaded rice — in Seme,” he can be heard saying. “What did you do about it? I will not accept it! I have told Ejigbunu I will not agree!”
FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE VIDEOS
Dende: He will blame himself.
People: Calm down now. Calm down now, Alhaji.
Scared Customs Officer: Alhaji, what have I done? What have I done?
Pleading Customs Officer: I will talk to him.
Scared Customs Officer: Oga, kini mo se? (Boss, what have I done?).
Dende: May your life be ruined, Rotimi. May it never be well with you, Rotimi. May it never be well with you, Rotimi. May it never be well with you, Rotimi.
Dende: Is he [Rotimi] the only one here? Is he the only Customs officer here?
Scared Customs Officer: What have I done? He is threatening to kill me. Why?
Concerned witness: Please, it’s okay. It’s okay, oga.
Dende: Look, Ejigbunu [Hussein Ejigbunu, Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit Zone A] is the one I called. Ejigbunu is the one I called; he [Rotimi] will regret being born. Ejigbunu bring it [the smuggled goods] in.”
Dende: Call Wale, call Wale [the CGC]. Ejigbunu, call Wale.
Concerned people: Alhaji, calm down nah.
Dende: You will regret it. You will find out that the teeth are sharper than the knife. I will show you that I am Dende.
VIDEO 2
Dende: Pacing while making a phone call. Is he the only Customs [sic] here?
Dende: I saw your boss’s trailer — four trailers that loaded rice — in Seme. What did you do about it? I will not accept it. I have told Ejigbunu I will not agree.
Dende: I have told Ejigbunu I won’t I agree. If you don’t clear… you will have a corpse on Ejigbunu’s behalf.
Watch the video below:
To get the full context of the videos, please see the transcript of the conversation in the link attached to this tweet 👇🏿 pic.twitter.com/IfDSFoGAUW
— 'Fisayo Soyombo (@fisayosoyombo) March 1, 2024
KanyiDaily recalls that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recently disclosed its plan to distribute seized food items to Nigerians due to the hardship in the country.
