By Joshua Yousouph
The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has warned importers against concealing arms, ammunition and other prohibited items in containers, saying such acts could expose innocent truck owners to arrest, truck impoundment and prolonged investigations.
The warning followed the discovery of arms and ammunition allegedly concealed inside a container by the Intelligence Department of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
AMATO, in a statement signed by its Founder, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, said the development underscored the risks faced by truck owners who transport sealed containers without prior knowledge of their contents.
According to the association, the Customs Intelligence team’s discovery potentially saved an innocent truck operator from being caught up in a criminal investigation, as the truck could have been seized if the prohibited items had remained undetected until the container was transported.
AMATO said the situation further highlights the vulnerability of maritime truck owners, who are often required to move containers whose contents they neither inspected nor had the capacity to independently verify.
The association noted that when prohibited items or discrepancies are discovered in containers, the trucks conveying such cargoes are sometimes arrested or impounded, leaving operators to face investigations over offences they may have had no knowledge of.
“Such acts do not only constitute a serious security threat to the nation; they also expose innocent truck owners and operators to unnecessary arrests, impoundment and prolonged investigations,” AMATO said.
The association therefore urged importers and other stakeholders in the maritime industry to desist from false declarations, concealment of prohibited goods and other fraudulent practices capable of putting transport operators at risk.
While acknowledging the legal responsibility of the Customs Service to act whenever offences are detected, AMATO called for greater responsibility on the part of cargo owners and importers to ensure that legitimate transport operators are not used, knowingly or unknowingly, to facilitate criminal activities.
AMATO also commended the Customs Intelligence Department for what it described as an intelligence-driven operation that prevented the suspected prohibited cargo from progressing further into the supply chain.
The association expressed appreciation to the Customs management under the leadership of Comptroller-General Dr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi for strengthening intelligence gathering, border security and efforts to protect the nation’s interests.
AMATO urged continued collaboration between Customs authorities, importers, freight forwarders and transport operators to improve cargo screening and intelligence sharing, stressing that stronger preventive measures would help protect both national security and innocent players in the maritime logistics chain.
