The Inspector General of Police; Mr. Solomon Arase has intervened in the crisis which is currently rocking the five registered freight forwarding associations.
The Police has also commenced investigations into allegations by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) that its staff were recently attacked at the Seme Border by members of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).
The Inspector General of Police; Mr. Solomon Arase has intervened in the crisis which is currently rocking the five registered freight forwarding associations.
The Police has also commenced investigations into allegations by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) that its staff were recently attacked at the Seme Border by members of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).
Shipping Position Daily gathered exclusively that the Inspector General; Mr. Arase was worried about reports of attacks on CRFFN officials and the threats allegedly issued by the airport chapter of ANLCA on the life of CRFFN Registrar, Mr. Mike Jukwe.
The police IG had written an invitation letter to the leadership of all the freight forwarding associations, including ANLCA, in order to determine the level of the crisis within the freight forwarding fold.
However, our correspondent learnt that ANLCA President; Prince Olayiwola Shittu and his members reportedly shunned the meeting called by the IG which was supposed to hold last week Wednesday.
The association had given an excuse that it was attending the launching of the Common External Tariff (CET) by the Nigeria Customs Service, an event that took place on Tuesday last week.
Sources confirmed that due to the absence of ANLCA, the meeting with the police could not hold. But the Presidents of the other four associations were in attendance. The meeting has however been rescheduled to hold on 2nd of July in order to enable ANLCA attend.
Our correspondent confirmed that National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) was represented by its President, Chief Eugene Nweke, Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) represented by its President by Dr. Frank Ukor, and Factional President of National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) Chief Festus Ejiorfor who was represented by his vice, Mr. Emma Akide.
Also present at the meeting was Factional President of NCMDLCA, Mr. Lucky Eyis Amiwero and National President of NAFFAC; Chief C.A.T Agubama.
Confirming the development to Shipping Position Daily, AREFFN President, Dr. Frank Ukor disclosed that the Inspector General invited all the presidents last week Wednesday, including the President of ANLCA and all the people involved in the attack at the Seme border on CRFFN officials and those that have threatened them.
"We were all there, but the ANLCA people did not come, rather they wrote a letter and said they are not coming because of the launching of the common external tariff which actually took place on Tuesday and all of us were there, but they said that they wouldn't come on Wednesday" he said
Dr. Ukor said that ANLCA's absence at the meeting with the Inspector General of Police is a further indication that the association is deliberately making attempts to thwart the efforts of the CRFFN.
Speaking further, he said, "eventually after rubbing minds, we agreed to come back on the 2nd of July"
"He (Police IG) is inviting the leadership of the associations because ANLCA had given instructions to her members not to pay the practitioners’ fee and they followed it up by attacking CRFFN officials, and those of them at the airport threatened the registrar that they were going to kill him"
"These are the issues, including Lucky Amiwero who has been making trouble, he was also invited"
"There was no meeting, the agreement was to come back on Thursday, 2nd of July to suit ANLCA's request"
"All the President's were present except for Ejiorfor who was hospitalized and was represented by his Deputy, Emma Akide" he said.
Ukor reiterated that the membership of ANLCA is based on licenses, the licenses registered with CRFFN is not up to 600 and the greater number of them belong to customs officers and big companies that do not belong to any association.
He maintained that the individuals that do not have practicing licenses should not be claimed to be customs brokers by ANLCA.
However, when he was contacted, National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA; Mr Kayode Farinto said that the association did not boycott the meeting with the IG of Police.
He dismissed allegations that members of the association is threatening the CRFFN boss and that it’s members were never involved in any attack on the CRFFN officers at Seme Border.
He assured that "the meeting has been fixed for Thursday, and we will be there"
"Our President, Olayiwola Shittu was on the entourage of the Customs CG at the seminar in Lagos on Tuesday last week, we actually wrote the IG and our letter was with them officially since Monday last week"
"ANLCA is a law-abiding association, we cannot boycott a meeting like that" he insisted.
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