MAYHEM AT PTML:

“Customs Arrested Our Members Illegally” – Agents
“No, They Are Miscreants”    –    Customs
Even as confirmation emerged last week that at least 33 licensed customs agents were arrested over last week’s mayhem at the PTML, parties to the crises continue to trade blame over the true identities of those who were arrested by a combined team of riot policemen and enforcement officers from the Customs Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja.
While Customs echelon including the public relations officers of the embattled command, Prince Steve Okonmah insisted that those arrested were miscreants and those who come to the command on daily basis to instigate trouble and create confusion, frontline licensed customs agents disagreed saying that majority of those arrested are genuine agents and bonafide members of the various associations.
The PTML Customs command spokesman pointedly accused those arrested as being master minders of fraudulent practices in the command.  “These are the people who come to the port everyday with no genuine mission except  to run dirty errands and look for ways to circumvent the system, they are the hoodlums who  will never want peace because they benefit form crises” , he stressed.
He told Shipping Position Weekly that it was the desire of the new area controller, Alhaji Garba Kuffi to stamp out all manners of underhand dealings in the command and that it was in the process of doing this that some vehicles were discovered to have been cleared with fake papers and the controller ordered that the vehicles should be seized. The seized vehicles were valued at about N20million.
According to him the Customs Area Controller (CAC) decided to seize the vehicles because the command had in the past allowed some level of compromise.
"It is a clear case of false declaration and under the CEMA it attracts outright seizure. It does not matter whether duty was paid at all or not, the consignees have circumvented the law and have consequently forfeited the vehicles to government," he told our correspondent.
But, two chieftains of the association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA); Mr Kayode Farinto of the Tin Can Island chapter and Prince Bola Adesokan of the embattled PTML chapter told Shipping Position Weekly at separate interviews that what the customs boss ought to have done was to issue debit note (DN) rather than resulting to outright seizure of the vehicles.
Prince Adesokan told our correspondent last weekend that majority of those who were arrested are members of ANLCA and that they had been taken to Panti police station in Lagos from where they may be charged to court. He however described the action of the area controller as unsatisfactory.
The same disdain was expressed by Mr Kayode Farinto who also confirmed that the anti-riot policemen and Customs enforcement officers operated as if they were coming to arrest common criminals.
Another frontline freight forwarder and member of the national Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarder (NAGAFF), Mr Ugocghukwu Nnadi told our correspondent that majority of those who were arrested are genuine licensed customs agents who were picked up indiscriminately when the combined team of police and customs arrived at PTML last Wednesday.
But when asked to give an insight into what will become of the 33 unlucky agents, the PRO of PTML told our correspondent that it was on the orders from Abuja that they were arrested and that it was beyond him to comment on when they would be arraigned or whether they would be charged to court at all.