The 100% Compliance Team of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF has petitioned the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG in charge of the Maritime Police Command over the activities of the officers and men of the Zone 2 Police Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos whom it accused of of intercepting and arresting containers duly processed and exited out of the ports by the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS and other government agencies at the ports including the officials and men of the Maritime Police Command.
The Team in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko in Lagos on Friday alleged that several containers were intercepted and thereafter arrested by those officers whom he said were purportedly acting on behalf of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos.
The team which expressed shock as to why that was happening even when there was a substantive Commissioner of Police in charge of the ports, who also worked under the supervision of the AIG Maritime, said, “We are totally lost and surprised as to the reason or rationale why the officers and men of Zone 2 are now intercepting and arresting containers within your jurisdictions without recourse to your good office.
“Sir, we as the umbrella body of freight forwarders had in the past, kicked against and protested at such practice where this same officers and men of Zone 2 often harass agents, intercept and arrest containers duly processed and released by the Nigeria Customs Service and other government approved agencies at the port before the abnormal practice was abated.
“Sir, we want to respectfully inform you that these practices which we are of the firm believe that it is not only illegal but also clogging and impeding the timely clearance of containers from the port. We, therefore, humbly implore you to use your good office and liaise or collaborate with your brother AIG Zone 2 to see that this practice is brought to an end as soon as practicable.
“Moreover, we want to inform your good self that we were assured by the then AIG Ogbodo, now at Alagbon, during one of our interactions with her that there exists a circular which bars any other police department other than the Maritime Police Command from interfering and or dabbling into any issue relating to the maritime business except they are called to intervene or a petition is sent to them”, the team said.
Querying what the officers and men of Zone 2 Police Headquarters were looking for in the containers that officers and men of the Maritime Police Command had cleared from the port, it appealed to the AIG Maritime to quickly intervene adding that its members were more often extorted to the tune of One Million Naira (N1,000,000) by the officers and men of Zone 2 while intercepting and arresting the containers.
“We, therefore, in view of the above, respectfully urge you sir, to call the Zone 2 Police officers to order and save the ports from imminent restiveness that may paralyze business activities and further cause economic loss to the government. We may have no option than to go on protest which may result in a possible shutdown of the seaports“, it concluded.
Photo: Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, National Coordinator, 100% Compliance Team.
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