Oluyinka Onigbinde
Stakeholders in the nation’s maritime industry have raised alarm over the ‘disappearance’ of Customs patrol boats on Lagos waters.
Recall that Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in January 2022 commissioned 18 patrol boats to boost offensives against hoodlums operating on the Eastern and Western Marine Commands.
The Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali (rtd) who spoke at the commissioning of the boats constructed and built by SEWA West Africa in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, had said the boats, which comprise nine gunboats and nine logistics boats, were serious signals to criminals.
Ali stated that the boats, which have high functionalities, are an addition to the Service’s Marine arsenal at a time smugglers are running away from the heat on land.
However, concerned stakeholders have raised alarm over the sudden disappearance of the patrol boats on Lagos waters.
In a chat with our correspondent, a clearing agent who operates at the Tin Can Island port; Chief Agadu Simeon lamented the sudden disappearance of the boats, asking that there is need for an investigation into the where about of the boats.
According to him “Since the Lagos state government banned Okada, I have been using the waters and since then I have never sighted the Customs patrol boats on our waters
“We know they can’t operate on the high sea, so where have they been. I have asked several of my colleagues, but no one has seen any, or is it just that they only played to the gallery when they commissioned the boats, you people should investigate this, who knows maybe the patrol boats are down, just like the scanners but we can’t say because they are not visible, or is it in the wee hours they operate”
“It is painful because millions of taxpayers’ money, the import duty we pay has been used to buy some of these things and we can’t even see them, you people need to do a detailed investigation on this” he said.
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Also speaking, a clearing agent; Alao Mojeed said though he had that NCS have patrol boats he has not for once set his eyes on them this is even he said he doubted the existence of the service patrol boats.
“Yes I know they said they have patrol boats, but I can’t really say that this is what it looks like, I have not seen it before, if they do it should be in the care of the Western Marine command” he said.
On his part, a former President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF); Mr. Eugene Nweke stated that he believes the service has patrol boats, even though he said some may not be visible as many have stated, he commended the efforts of the Comptroller Western Marine command for its anti-smuggling fight on Lagos waterways.
All efforts to get the reaction of the Public Relations Officer of the western marine command proved abortive as at the time of filing in this report as calls and text messages sent to him were not responded to.
Also, the National Public Relations officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Timi Bomodi refused to comment as he asked our correspondent to go interview the Customs Area Controller in Lagos and get back to him before he can comment on the alleged disappearance.
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