… As NAGAFF pickets bonded terminal over fraudulent transactions
A retired Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Mr. Godswill Ojogwu has accused the management of the Clarion Bonded Terminal of using his license to steal 19 containers from the Tincan Island port in 2018.
Addressing journalists in Lagos on Monday, Ojogwu who is the Managing Director of Ajaji Continental Limited explained that those containers were moved as bonded transferred goods adding that they were supposed to be move from Tincan Island port to Clarion Bonded Terminal but document showed that those containers did not follow due process because they were not released from the customs’ system.
According to him, “Clarion used my license fraudulently in 2018 and when I discovered, I came, I started searching for who is involved. I printed documents in 2018 to discover that Clarion used my license to steal 19 containers from the Tincan port and on further investigation, I discovered these containers were moved as bonded transferred goods. They were supposed to move from Tincan to Clarion here but document showed that these things did not follow due process because it was not released and when my license was blocked, I went through all my people (customs), they said I should find out from Clarion who released the containers.
“Now, for Clarion to show me who they released those containers to and who used my agency, they were almost mobbing me here last year when they seized about 14 vehicles that were fully duty paid, processed and released by customs. For them to take their delivery, Clarion blocked them and I came again to tell Clarion, look, these vehicles have no problem, they have duly paid the government duty on them, the customs has done all it could do and released them, allow these vehicles to go while we continue our investigation of the 19 missing containers. Clarion bluntly refused and said I must pay over eight million naira that I know nothing about.
“And I told them, okay, I am a Nigerian, I will go to any length to know who has perpetrated this evil and I wrote to all the agencies including the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network, I wrote to the DSS and all my documents, I handed over to NAGAFF and say please, as a body, I cannot fight this alone, follow it up for me and that is what has brought us here today.”
He disclosed that the management of the bonded terminal was holding back the said 14 vehicles because of the fraud that was committed by them in 2018 using First Degree Multinationals even as he contended that they (Clarion) have no reason to hold back those vehicles as they (the vehicles) have no problem.
“There is no way goods will leave the port without following due process. But these things were done in a shady form and that is why they have been blocking every attempt that I make. I wrote to the customs, it was blocked, my documents were lost two to three times. I wrote to the Controller of Customs to find out what the problem is. At a point, I went to the Police, I have gone everywhere before I finally said that my association should help me out”, he said.
The Ajaji Continental Limited boss who informed that his license was still operational, however, stated that because his major clients go through that license, he had not been able to work for a long time now.
“I could remember that since 2018 till date, I have not gotten a direct job”, he declared.
Meanwhile, the 100% Compliance Team of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), on Monday picketed the Clarion Bonded Terminal as their members blocked the entrance to the terminal refusing movement in and out of the terminal.
Protesters were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions on them, chanting solidarity songs.
Addressing journalists on the reason for the protest, the Secretary, Western Zone, NAGAFF’s 100% Compliance Team, Mr. Barth Okeke observed that they were at the terminal to notify the world about the atrocities and crimes being committed at Clarion Bonded Terminal pointing out that Clarion was holding onto 14 vehicles belonging to their members since July last year for no just cause.
According to him, “There are some unpaid assessment that was traced to a particular agency that was consigned those vehicles but from our own investigations, that agency has nothing to do with that DN and from our own investigations, the DN was given to a particular consignee called First Degree Multinationals that was supposed to have brought containers from Tincan to this bonded terminal. But from our investigations, those containers, 19 of them which we suspect to be carrying arms and ammunition because from the dodgy attitude of everybody in that Clarion Bonded Terminal, there was nothing to show that those containers entered those terminals. They did what we called flying in our parlance.
“And now, we are asking them to show us the TDO of those 19 containers and who received them on behalf of Ajaji Continental Agency that the Clarion Bonded Terminal is claiming to have unpaid assessment to its name, all to no avail.
“Who received the consignment from Tincan on transire? No response. Who released it? No way! Give us an evidence that these consignments were properly examined and released, they have been dodgy and our member has been dying in silence. The importers have been on his neck, they have been threatening his life, made him almost incapacitated financially, yet, they refused to listen to us.
“We have written several letters and made so many entreaties to this terminal which have fallen on deaf ears. If Ajaji Continental Agency is owing the customs or have unpaid assessment to its name, why hasn’t the customs blacklisted the agency as they are wont to? They would have done that but no way! The agency is still in operation. That means, there’s something this so called bonded terminal did with First Degree in respect of that unpaid assessment.
“And so, after a long while and fruitful deliberations with our members, we decided to carry out this operation, let the world know that this bonded terminal is not worth to be called one. They are a massive fraud and revenue loss to the federal government and the importers themselves have even decided to come to our office to plead with us to help our member, Ajaji Continental to retrieve their vehicles because they have paid their duties, paid their terminal charges, release the consignments and they have nothing to do with the unpaid assessment. So, why are you holding them back?
“They have even refused to discuss with us. You just saw the so called Executive Director, Mr. Okocha who has been so vehement in resisting any form of dialogue even with the owners of the vehicles. He walked in here, we stopped him from assessing his office, he didn’t want to listen to us and he walked away.
“So, please, gentlemen of the press, we want you to put the spotlight on this case, do your investigations, you can come for more information from us. We have evidence of all the fraud going on here.”
Asked if they had reached out to the authorities on this issue, he said, “Tincan Island command of the Nigeria Customs Service is supposed to be in charge of this bonded terminal. We wrote to them as well as the Western Ports Police Commissioner but we have never got any reply from them. We have also written to the the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network since 23rd December, 2021.”
On how Clarion Bonded Terminal used Ajaji Continental Limited license to steal the said 19 containers from the port, Okeke said, “The man’s (Ajaji) access number with the customs was hacked. The man didn’t know that his agency was being used in the first place only for him to discover that he had an unpaid assessment.”
On record of release for the 19 containers, he said, “From our investigations, there was nothing like that. They bribed their way through because they are used to it. If not, why haven’t they replied us up till now or given us any cogent reason why those containers were not duly released. They never came to this terminal, we are sure about that. If the containers came here, let them show us the evidence.
“If the customs is holding an agency, what do they do? They blacklist it. But today, Ajaji Continental is still in operation. So, let them answer that question. We posed that question to them, they rebuffed us.”
Meanwhile, all attempt made by our correspondent to speak with the management of the terminal did not yield any result as the security men at the gate refused entry neither did the oblige him the phone number of any of the top management staff on request.
Photo: Placards carrying members of NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team during the picketing of the Clarion Bonded Terminal on Monday.
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