The Nigeria Customs Service has said that it is moving out its operatives and all operations away from Benin Republic due to constant molestation of its officers and violation of trans-border agreements by that country’s government.
Customs Area Controller, Seme Command; Mohammed Aliyu stated this last week when he was addressing members of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) who paid him a courtesy visit.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari has approved that the Customs should vacate the popular truck park, ‘Atlas Park’, belonging to Benin Republic and that a truck park should be built on the Nigerian side of the border.
According to him, the park is costing the Nigerian customs over N300million.
Comptroller Aliyu alleged that customs officers, importers and clearing agents are constantly being harassed by Benin Republic customs, he said that some hoodlums, popularly called ‘kelebe’ also extort money from traders, all in violation of the trans-border agreement signed with Nigeria in 2003.
He said after the agreements were signed, "it was just a few months old before it was abandoned, nobody cared to look or fight about it, and Nigeria is losing".
Lamenting further, he said; "Benin Republic is a place where we are feeding them, we are doing everything for them and they do not realize that we are important, they are still looking down on us. A place whereby an importer would import and pay all the dues, and at the same time he would be molested because it is their own land, a place whereby goods are coming, sealed for Nigeria customs to unlock, and they would go ahead to unlock it".
The obviously angry Customs boss said: "They would wake up one day and say this is the price they want to charge and we would have no option than to comply, but when I look at the country as a whole, it is not more than one local government in my place. Why can't we fight for our right?”
"A write up was sent to Aso villa and a serious action was taken about it. The approval we have now is that we are packing away from their place to our own land. When I came, an officer in uniform with a colored vehicle; an Assistant Comptroller going to work, because it is a foreign land, a kelebe (camp boy) that is more powerful there would molest him"
"The second one which is almost approved is for our own trucks to be trans-loaded in our side of the border instead of their own land, if the goods are really meant for Nigeria, they should come here"
"It is only in Benin Republic that I have seen among the whole world that they don't respect 'transit goods’’, he alleged.
Compt Aliyu said the Customs already had a land, and what remains is for it to be fenced and put in order.
"This is going to take some time, so we have decided to take a short measure, if we want it to be at international standard, it is going to cost the Nigerian Customs over N300million and for you to spend that kind money it has to be PPP, it would take time and it has to pass through the budget process"
‘’But we have calculated it that approximately N11million can fence the place, we have sent the proposal and the file is now on the CGC’s table waiting for his approval, so that we can have our own parking space"
He however said that Customs is not handing over operations of the park to the associations, but that the place would be run by Customs to provide free service for all.
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