The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Legal Unit, Tin-Can Island Port Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Chief Superintendent of Customs Ibrahim Badisha, may have landed himself in deep mess, as a Reverend Sister from the Daughters Eternal Father Mission has accused him of allegedly pestering her for sex before a container, belonging to the Catholic Mission is cleared.
The Reverend Sister, who pleaded anonymity, insisted that Badisha, who doubles as a lawyer, had consistently created unpalatable circumstances that made the clearance of the cargo container almost impossible except she goes to bed with him. She said the items in the container, which Badisha threatened to impound due to her “stubbornness” was for Catholic charity donated by another Catholic Mission in the United States.
Daily Sun gathered that the consignment included cars and relief materials for running a mission, catering for physically challenged persons and others with special needs. The Reverend Sister explained further that after the physical examination of the containerised consignment by the Customs, Badisha allegedly accused the Reverend Sisters of concealing the vehicles.
She claimed that, because she consistently rebuffed Badisha’s alleged amorous advances, the officer, cashing in on his position as Officer-in-Charge of the Legal Unit at the Tin-Can Island Port Area Command, had single-handedly registered the container as seizure, claiming the vehicles were concealed. “We have three cars duly paid for, wheel chair and used clothes and other relief items inside the container donated to us by Sisters in the United States. Our Superior had to travel from US down to Nigeria because of this very container to explain that the pattern over there is quite different from Nigeria.
Over there, if it is a donated item, they don’t bother to put it in bill of lading; they just put it in since it is for charity,” the victim said. She went on: “After physical examination has been conducted, we asked that he should raise a debit note for us, that we are ready to pay but he wouldn’t give in but for him to tell me I’m going to cry and suffer because of this very container, which means he knows what he is doing.” Continuing, she said: “We got to know him after we cleared a container at Tin-Can sometime ago.
But this is another container that was kept in his custody and he withheld it because he said he did not get anything from us from the former container that was cleared. When I started coming for the clearance of this container, he began making all sorts of advances to me, telling me that I was not yet a woman and I wouldn’t be a woman if I had not been taken to bed. That it was a man that would treat me right, saying he wanted to have me for a while.”
“The OC, Legal, made different advances to me, but God will not let him. He single-handedly registered the container as seizure, saying I was going to cry and suffer because of this container.” She added: “We used to be two but sometimes, because we don’t have enough money, one person will come. So, any time he sees me, he will be making advances, saying the other Sister is an ‘old school’, that I am the real person he is looking for. Some of his colleagues will even tell him that he should not make that kind of joke because these are holy women of God but he will tell them that there is nothing like being holy.”
The Sisters are, therefore, demanding a public apology from the Customs officer for the alleged sexual harassment as well as the prompt release of their container, which, according to sources, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), has directed to be released. It was learnt that the Commissioner of Ports Authority Police Command (PAPC), Mrs. Sherifat Disu-Olajoku, has ordered for the arrest of Badisha. When contacted, the Customs officer, Badisha, told CrimeWatch that the Reverend Sister was out to blackmail him.
“I did not make love overtures to her. My sin was that the container was under quoted. Some of the goods in the container were not quoted. So, that was what we call concealment. If a container comes in and some goods were concealed, the container would be seized.” “I am not the person, who discovered that some of the goods were concealed. I am just the O/C, Legal, who offer advice to the service.
Why on earth should I make advances to a Reverend Sister? She was only trying to whip up sympathy. She was turning the seizure of her goods to religious something. She should know that because she is a Reverend Sister does not give her the right to cheat on the Federal Government. I did not make love advances to her. God is the ultimate judge. So, He will judge everyone according to his deeds.”
Reporting for NaijaGospel
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