Customs task forces defy CG order, return to port access roads -ANLCA

By ZION Olalekan

The task force which were asked to quit the patrol point along port access road may have stealthily come back, suggesting their flagrant disregard for the directive of the Customs Comptroller-General, Hameed Ali.

It would be recalled that the customs authority asked some of the task forces who allegedly laid siege on the road to extort importers and their agents, to leave their patrol points.

This followed the truce brokered by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) between the Customs and freight forwarders who alleged that the ad-hoc teams sent by the customs authority have become a clog in the wheel of smooth clearance procedures at the ports.

Kayode Farinto, the Vice-President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA) alleged that the withdrawn task forces may have come back to resume their extortionist activities on the road.

In addition, he accused the men of the Nigerian Navy who are involved in traffic management at the port of constant demand of a bribe of N150,000 which he claimed was the main cause of sharp hike in the price of transporting cargoes out of Lagos ports.

The association stated this yesterday at its National Executive Committee (NECOM) meeting which held in Lagos on Tuesday.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice President of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto alleged that naval officers mounted a permanent checkpoints on Mile 2 bridge along Apapa Oshodi expressway and the Ijora bridge where they allegedly force Truckers to pay N150,000 before they are passed into the port.

He said the association has written the Western Naval Commander, Rear Adm. Habila Ngalabak who has also indicated interest in meeting with ANLCA to investigate the genuineness of the allegations.

Farinto noted that if the cost of bringing in empty containers into the seaports is reduced, it would go a long way in reducing the cost of cargo clearance at Nigerian ports.

According to him, “The NPA started a call up system, and because it is a manual system, everybody is latching on it in order to be a partaker of what is happening at the port. Between Western Avenue and Apapa, there are about five points”

“If you want to appreciate what I am saying, don’t come to the port with cameras, come around 11 at night, you would think they are having a party, at every point that you see, trailer drivers are made to part with lots of money before they are able to access the port”

“For you to load a container from Tin Can Port, it costs N700,000, it is only recently that it is coming down”

“We wrote to the commander of NNS Beecroft that his men are the ones causing the problems because they force the drivers to pay the money”

“We are piling up these issues because we are likely to have invitation from the presidency, we have written them that we want to have access to the president, we would go with many documents on what is happening in the port to let them know that the maritime sector is dying and government is looking the other way”

The association also alleged that 72 hours after they were withdrawn from the ports, the Nigerian Customs task forces have returned, subjecting already cleared containers through another set of examination.

He said that the agents were able to secure reprieve for importers of trapped third party containers which the Customs had suspended their clearance due to disparity in documentation.

He said “Between Area B and Mile 2, we have five pick ups of Nigeria Customs, what are they doing there, duplication of duties and extortion of our members, it is not that they are doing anything spectacular there, they are not adding value”

“We are still going to Abuja because we noticed that what they promised us is not what they are doing.

“Out of the five pick up vehicles stationed at Mile 2 and Area B, they told us they have withdrawn three of them, but after 72 hours, we noticed, particularly at night, some of these officers still patrol that place, extort our members and subject consignments that have been released dully to another round of examination”

“There are too many units of Customs in the port, we have resident officers, intelligence officers, enforcement officers in the same port, Tin Can Port has up to five units that stops cargo”