Police IG stops officers from intercepting cargoes on the road

Abiola seun      |          

Due to widespread complaints by clearing agents against the incessant stoppage of cargoes already cleared from the seaports, the acting Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu has directed that officers can only stop cargoes through the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).

This was disclosed by the Chairman, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) National Committee on Police Investigation Activities, Hon. Ben Anyanwu

Anyanwu  who made this known while briefing the National Executive Committee (NECOM) of the association said that the information was an offshoot of a tripartite meeting of the association, the NSC and the AIG Maritime, AIG Abdul Dahiru Danwawu at the Shippers’ Council headquarters.

Anyanwu noted that the AIG informed them at the meeting that the IGP has directed that henceforth, any investigative activities concerning the port and cargo clearance from any other Police formation should be directed to the AIG Maritime saying that no other Police formation had any right to come to investigate any of the activities in the port even as he had directed that pending cases be transferred to the AIG Maritime.

“So, on that note, he (AIG Maritime) promised us that he is going to work with stakeholders, he issued out a form that we are going to work with if need be that they are going to stop a container and this is the process it has to go”, the Chairman said.

The Committee Chairman further said that the AIG Maritime expressed surprise that his men were still stopping containers adding that himself and his group were fashioning out a better way of stopping containers which according to him was going to move away from the current practice of Police writing directly to the shipping companies to stop the release containers.

According to Anyanwu,” He informed us that the IG himself has directed that for them to stop a container now, it has to go through Shippers’ Council who will in turn execute the stoppage and before the Executive Secretary of Shippers’ Council and the stakeholders that were present, the AIG promised us that it is going to be a different thing altogether and that he is there to work and partner with us, that he is new in the area, that he doesn’t know anything about maritime, that he needs to work with us so that he has a successful tenure in the maritime as AIG.

“He informed us that henceforth, that the IG has directed that any investigative activities concerning the port, concerning any cargo clearance from any other Police formation should be directed to the AIG Maritime. So, no other Police formation has any right to come to investigate any of our activity. He has directed that pending cases be transferred to the AIG Maritime. So, on that note, he promised us that he is going to work with stakeholders, he issued out a form that we are going to work with if need be that they are going to stop a container and this is the process it has to go.

“Then, the following day, we had a meeting with the Shippers’ Council and they read out a letter that they wanted to send out to shipping companies, to stakeholders and associations, that henceforth, Police are not going to stop any container without them, they have to route that letter through them, it is them that will be stopping cargo if need be because Shippers’ Council will get to know why that container had to be stopped by the Police because there are Policemen in the port doing joint examination with other agencies, why should Police be writing letter and you go to Falomo to part with money before the cargo is released thereby delaying the cargo, causing more demurrage on the cargo.

“On that note, we now agreed that henceforth, we should be seeing less of Police stopping cargo”.

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