• I bribed security 5,000 to examine a container—Customs Officer
The Nigeria Custom Service has ordered that the process of removing all overtime cargoes which are currently littering the ports should commence with immediate effect, following insinuations by stakeholders that the Lagos ports are congested.
• I bribed security 5,000 to examine a container—Customs Officer
The Nigeria Custom Service has ordered that the process of removing all overtime cargoes which are currently littering the ports should commence with immediate effect, following insinuations by stakeholders that the Lagos ports are congested.
Customs Area Controller of the Tin Can Island command of Customs, Mr Tajudeen Olanrewaju dropped the hint at a stakeholders meeting which held at the command last week, he said the directive was aimed at putting an end to the blame game that is currently going on between the terminal operators and the Customs.
A Customs enforcement officer at the Ports and Cargo Handling Terminal (names withheld) had alleged that concessionaires are the cause of congestion because, according to him, they refuse to release containers to customs for re-examination, he cited an instance when he had to offer bribe to the security operatives at a terminal so as to gain access to a container under investigation.
“I had to use the Nigerian way, so I bribed N5, 000 for the Port and Cargo Terminal security man to bring the container out and back to my enforcement unit, the container is back there and I have re-examined it” he told a shocked gathering of port users at the meeting.
The officer was reacting to a statement issued earlier by Ports and Cargo and Handling Terminal that; “in our place, when you pass by you will see all forms of seized containers stacked at the common access road, sometimes you will think our terminal is congested, we have made series of appeal to the DC enforcement over this issue” .
However in a quick response, the Safety Manager of Port and Cargo at Tin Can Island port, Mr. Emmanuel Ogbor alleged that the Customs do not follow due process in requesting for the re-examination of overtime containers.
He explained that on that particular occasion, the request was not well worded because it was addressed to another terminal; TICT”. Ogbor alleged further that Customs officers usually storm the terminal angrily to take containers. “The port is a Customs port, but we have to follow due procedures” he cautioned.
Continuing he said: “That N5, 000 you said you gave to the security man, you are on your own because the giver and the receiver are equally guilty”.
Also joining the blame game with the Tin Can Customs, the management of the Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) has announced that there are over 500 overtime containers currently littering the terminal and hindering effective operations.
Mr Richard Akinbosotu, Personal Assistant to the Managing Director of the terminal who made this disclosure however lamented that when the overtime containers are moved out of the port, the terminal does not get its statutory 25% percent on the auctioning of the containers.
“When we took over the terminal in 2006, the agreement we had with government was that 75% of containers will be going for scanning while 25% will be going for physical examination, but now the reverse is the case, in our terminal now we have more than 500 overtime containers”, he stated.
“Whenever these containers are moved to Ikorodu, the terminal operators end up losing their revenue, the 25% that is supposed to go to the terminal operators are now going to NPA and the rest” he alleged.
Meanwhile, the Customs Controller, Tin Can command, has confirmed receipt of directives on the overtime containers that immediate action should be taken about them.
“A circular just came in from the headquarters, supported by a gazette, goods that have been here as overtime are gazetted or further action, and tomorrow or next we will begin to identify them, with this gazette there are more in TICT, so there will be an exercise to open the containers for examination and document them for further action, so be ready for us” he said.
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