Despite allegations against the 100% Compliance Team of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) by the Zonal Coordinator, West of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Sir John Oforbike, the new partnership struck between both associations is growing stronger.
The National Coordinator of NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko revealed this on Tuesday while denying the allegation of harassment, intimidation and blackmail of customs officers on duty leveled against it by Ofotbike.
Oforbike had in a petition dated 8th December, 2020 and addressed to the Customs Area Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Abba Kura alleged that Customs officers were being harassed and intimidated by Tanko and the NAGAFF Compliance Team.
"A lot of officers in your command are groaning under the weight of constant demand for job gratification, intimidation, harassment and name dropping by Mr. Ibrahim Tanko and his purported 100% Compliance Team from NAGAFF.”
The petition also read: "You may have been aware of a publication in one of the maritime print media blackmailing one of your officers in AML Bonded Terminal for bluntly refusing to ‘play ball’ to the said 100% Compliance Team led by Alh. Tanko Ibrahim."
“They have been issuing threats to him for his astuteness in discharging his duty. Same goes to your officers in Mid-Maritime Bonded Terminal as well as Denca Bonded Terminal and other terminals who refused to ‘play ball’ with them. They are equally being intimidated and hounded for approaching their duties with forthrightness."
However, reacting in a press briefing in Lagos, Ibrahim Tanko denied the allegations stating that the last time the team visited the three bonded terminals during the tour of bonded terminals, they did visit with the press adding that he did not go there alone.
He further explained that since that time, he had never gone there again by himself even as he denied intimidating or extorting any customs officer as alleged by the petitioner.
He said, “I haven't intimidated, extorted or pressured any customs officer. How can an armless person like me, a civilian harass an armed customs officer? How will somebody who has no gun harass somebody with gun? How will somebody with no power of arrest intimidate or harass customs officer who has power of arrest and has gun as well? He (Oforbike) could have been patient enough to wait to see our mistake before writing the petition but because he was anxious maybe to hurt us or to cause confusion between the Compliance Team and the Customs management; so he decided to write this."
Tanko stressed that since the establishment of this 100% Compliance Team, they never confronted or attacked any customs officer or any government agency.
"What we are doing is sensitization between the importers and our members telling them the benefits of doing the right thing. We have not accused any customs officer of corruption or any other wrong doing. If there is any such development, let the person so attacked, harassed or intimidated come out and say so.”
The National Coordinator, while pointing out that he had nothing against Oforbike as a person, however alleged that Oforbike is under suspension in ANLCA presently and the leadership of ANLCA was preparing to expel him from ANLCA entirely.
“I want you to understand that the relationship between ANLCA and NAGAFF is still intact. Just few days ago, ANLCA formed its compliance team and they asked us to work with them and by January, we are going to call them for a meeting to see if we are going to reframe our materials in order to make it a joint compliance team between ANLCA and NAGAFF. We are working towards that," he added.
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