NPA, Port police swoop on Tin Can roadside traders

Segun Oladipupo. |

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Tin Can port police yesterday swooped on traders and hawkers within the port premises at Tin Can Island Port complex and arrested many of them for encroachment.

The clampdown which commenced on Monday morning sent jitters down the spines of the port users.

The port police in conjunction with NPA security men , it was learnt, had sensitized the traders and others who normally hang around the three entry points leading to the ports but failed to yield positive results.

The three flashpoints include: First and Second gates and also the PTML entry point.

According to our sources, the move by the security agencies is in line to clear the port environment from unwanted elements who most times constitute nuisance with high level of criminality to defraud innocent Nigerians.

It was also targeted at decorating the environment and avoid compounding the gridlock within the corridor.

Confirming the development to our correspondent, the Chairman, Association of Registered Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (AREFFN), Tin Can chapter, Comrade Jude Ige said, ” We heard about the development but we don’t know the modus operandi put in place by the security agencies.

Ige noted that there was need to control human traffic within the port environment, adding that the association would commence clampdown on those who are not supposed to come around the port complex for any reason.

Also, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Tin Can port police, Mr. Benson Folaranmi, told our correspondent on phone on Sunday night, that the exercise started two weeks ago, noting that the Police had addressed the hawkers before now.

He added that the exercise had maintained some level of compliance from the sellers and that most of the hawkers had already moved to other side of the road.

According to Folaranmi, the hawkers and other petty traders’ display their items along the corridor which in turn led to gridlock along the corridor.

The Superintendent of Police therefore advised the sellers and hawkers along the corridor to leave the arena in order to reduce gridlock on the road.