Joshua Yousouph
Clearing agents operating at the nation’s ports have lamented the illegal role of informants and undercover agents popularly called “Camp boys” who dominate the port environment.
Many of the ‘camp boys’ now consider themselves as lords at Lagos ports, due to the role they play for Customs as informants and middlemen and on behalf of Government officials, extorting clearing agents, collecting bribes, and indulging in other corrupt practices at Lagos ports.
Checks by one of our correspondents show that the issue of “Camp Boys” is as old as the port, it is also an integral part of the port system in Nigeria and that port users, especially clearing agents have no choice but to succumb to their demands, which is on behalf of government agencies.
Dr. Alex Nwokedi, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Customs & Other Related Agencies of Government (CORAG) of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders, Nigeria (AREFFN), noted that the usage of Camp boys is more rampant with the officers of the Nigeria Customs Service. This is even as he noted that Customs use them as Informants and spies despite the provision of a department in the service saddled with such responsibility.
Nwokedi also stated that these Camp boys are everywhere in the port environment, even at the offices of the Nigeria Customs Service. He alleged that most of these Camp boys give false information on import or export consignments at the ports to the men of the NCS thereby causing unnecessary delays of cargo clearance.
In his words: “The Camp boys are there within the Customs circle. For now, it is only the Customs that use those Camp boys, going by the activities of other departments like the SSS, NDLEA, and others. For now, they conduct their examination by themselves. But that of Customs, the Camp boys are almost everywhere, even in offices. I don’t know what Customs is gaining from using them, probably as a spy to give them more information on consignments. But by the whole standard and the arrangement of Customs according to CEMA, there is a department that goes into the container to see what one is importing”
Nwokedi however called on the Port Standing Task Team and other government agencies to look into the issue by checkmating all excesses exhibited by these Camp boys at the port. “All these things negate Government policies and it is against ethics of the job. Something must be done. I am happy at the arrival of the Port Standing Task Team. If they sincerely go about the mandate given to them, they can help us to checkmate all these excesses”, he concluded.
Read Also: Truckers Threaten To Withdraw Service, Embark On Peaceful Protests Monday
Also speaking, a clearing agent and National Chairman of The Patriots Anti-Corruption Initiative (T-PACI), Comrade Stephen Ibe noted that the issue of Camp boys is not new, but an age-long one. He stated that these boys are used by Customs Officers to extort and collect bribes from clearing agents.
Ibe also noted that one of the ways corruption can be easily nipped in the bud at the ports is by looking into the issue of Camp boys, so as to apprehend officers who are perpetrators of extortion and illegal collection of bribes from clearing agents at the ports.
On his part, a clearing agent who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that Camp boys are peculiar to almost all the government agencies such as Tax, Licensing, and Passport offices.
He also noted the clearing agents have no choice but to succumb to the illegal demand of these “Government” boys by paying them bribes, so as not to have their container or consignments unnecessarily delayed. He also noted that these activities frustrate government policy on ease of doing business.
“Camp boys are people who front for security agencies. These security agencies have people who front for them collecting money on their behalf. They feed on information on illegal dealings in the port. Sometimes the information is false. Nobody wants to be subjected to unnecessary delay, so they extort money from the people”, he added.
Kindly like us on Facebook
Discussion about this post