Series of investigations by Shipping Position Daily correspondents have again revealed how security operatives and traffic management officials are taking advantage of the perennial gridlock on the Lagos ports’ access roads.
The security officials who engage in the unbridled extortion include officials of the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). They have been extorting trucks drivers operating at the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports serially.
Investigations by Shipping Position Daily have confirmed that almost all the security officials on the Apapa port corridor are directly or indirectly involved in the corrupt practices.
Our correspondents who embarked on undercover investigations from Ijora Bridge to the Lagos port counted over seven ‘payment’ points, where government officials collect money from truck drivers.
Our correspondents who disguised as truck drivers confirmed the amount paid at each junction.
For instance, at the Ijora Bridge, two NPA officials attached to the place collect between N5, 000 and N10,000 from each truck driver, depending on the bargaining power.
Also, leaving the Ijora Bridge down to Total area, security officials at the premises collect a flat sum of N5, 000 on each truck, either the trucks carrying empty container or carry exports.
At the Airways Junction, the police in the axis collect N1, 000 from each truck.
While at Eleganza Roundabout which had the presence of almost all the security officials, the officials collect as much N40,000 from each truck, the officials at the roundabout include: LASTMA, FRSC, Police, NPA and military officers.
At the Eleganza roundabout, down to Union Bank, the officials there collect N20, 000 on each truck, while at the First Bank junction, the NPA officials stationed there also demand N10,000 from a truck driver and at the entrance of the port, a sum of N2,000 is collected before the truck gains access into the port.
The serial collection bring the total amount paid by those who intend to drop their containers at the port, without going through the Lillypond park to a total of N93, 000 per truck.
Meanwhile, one of our reporters also confirmed that those who go through the Lillypond Park also pay, but not as much as those who go straight to port from the respective garages.
For those who intend to stay a week at the Lillypond truck park, before accessing the ports, they pay as much as N45,000 while those who refuse to pay may wait endlessly for more than six weeks before getting a call up to the port.
Meanwhile, for truck drivers carrying export, they pay as much as N200,000 to get what is called ‘express route’ to the port without going through the Lillypond park.
Speaking to our correspondent, a truck owner who pleaded anonymity for obvious reason confirmed that exporters pay as much as N200,000 to security officials just to get easy access to the port.
He said the N200, 000 is paid into a security official’s account, who now distributes the money to other officials, so as not to disturb the truck while approaching the port gate.
He also disclosed that exporters who intend to go through the Lillypond Park may wait for more than eight weeks before getting call -up to the port, he said the delay often times leads to destruction of some of the perishable goods.
According to him, “for some of the exporters, who intend to get their export in time to the port, especially those with perishable item, they pay as much as N200, 000 to get entrance into the port without delay.
“The amount is like three times of what those going to drop empties pay, but they (exporters) don’t have a choice, they have to pay, if not their goods will rot away.
“This is what the multi nationals do, to get their export in time to the port, and for somebody who borrowed money from the bank, it will be difficult for him to wait endlessly at the Transit Park without getting call up, so he has to survive and find alternative”, he said.
Also conducting undercover investigation at the Truck Transit Park at Tin Can Island, our reporter who visited the transit park many times, discovered how the Police unit in the park has been extorting truck drivers.
The truck park have what is called the ‘DPO Line’ where truck drivers pay as much as N15, 000 to the police unit in other to leave the transit park on time, the other line is the regular line where truckers pay as much as N10, 000, while the last line is a free for all truckers who intend to stay there as long as they wish.
One of the truck drivers at the transit park on one of our visits said: “The lines are divided into three, known as the DPO line, the Regular line and a free for all line. For the DPO line, we pay the sum of N15,000 and we don’t spend up to a week before getting call up, for the regular line they pay N10,000 and those on that line wait for three to four weeks before getting call up, while those that refuse to pay, wait there for more than six weeks and may not get a call up” he said. This was confirmed later by many truckers.
Reacting to the extortions, the General Manager, Security at the NPA, OlumideOlugbengaOmotosho said the NPA has put in necessary measures to ensure that such menace is curbed.
He listed parts of the measures to include, rotation of the operatives at each post every 30 days, and continuous surveillance on the officers.
He confirmed that the Apapa gridlock is a scam.
He said: “I know the entire Apapa gridlock is a scam and we know that a lot of people are culpable of that, we don’t need any seer to tell us that.
“But what we are doing is that, first we rotate our operatives every 30 days to ensure that they don’t become authority at those locations.
“Secondly, we do surveillance on them, by senior officers from headquarters who camouflage and go round to give us report. We just created a unit called ‘transit intelligence and advisory unit’, they are working on that, we did that on waterways, we also have what we called ‘maritime security intelligence unit’, so we are working on that, we are also working with the marine police to do joint operations on water, those are one of the few measures that we are working on now,
“I can only provide you more information if I can get more fact about the allegations” he said.
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