Hell was let loose last Thursday at the PTML command of the Nigeria Customs Service when a Customs officer allegedly broke the head of a petroleum tanker driver at the MRS tank farm at Tin Can Island Port Complex for using his truck to block the entrance of the customs main gate.
The tank farm is PTML’s ‘next-door neighbour’.
Hell was let loose last Thursday at the PTML command of the Nigeria Customs Service when a Customs officer allegedly broke the head of a petroleum tanker driver at the MRS tank farm at Tin Can Island Port Complex for using his truck to block the entrance of the customs main gate.
The tank farm is PTML’s ‘next-door neighbour’.
Sources who spoke to Shipping Position Daily last week alleged that the officer; an Assistant Superintendent of Customs at the enforcement department whose identity was simply given as Duguri, is a violent officer and that it is not his first time of assaulting stakeholders who are on business at the terminal.
Consequently, the angry tanker drivers had used their trucks to barricade the entrance of the customs office while all port activities were paralyzed for several hours in solidarity with their assaulted colleague.
Reliable sources confirmed to our correspondent that the customs management was forced to part with N500, 000 to appease the rioting drivers after the affected driver was taken to the hospital for treatment.
"Once the boys saw the money, they now removed their trucks and work started going smoothly" a source said.
The source alleged further that, “the person responsible is ASC 1 an enforcement officer Duguri, he is fund of doing that, the last time it was the ANLCA chairman that he elbowed, the chairman complained to the OC enforcement and it took time for them to pacify the chairman"
Speaking with our correspondent, the public relations officer of the command, Mr. Steve Okonma narrated the incidents leading to the confrontation and said that the drivers are fond of indiscriminate parking.
"If a truck wants to park, it is either before an entrance or after the entrance, but here it doesn't concern them, they park right in front of the entrance and to enter your compound will be difficult, most of these drivers, when you tell them they take it to another level".
"This was what happened that day, and when the officer wanted to enforce the law, the young man jerked his uniform, you need to understand that the officer is representing an institution and jerking his uniform means you are jerking an institution", he stressed.
According to him, "the OC, as a superior officer came out and called the two of them to see how they can sort things out, as they were coming inside we only heard noise and saw the tanker driver on the ground, later the man claimed that the officer used something to hit him on the head".
He explained that the customs took the driver to the hospital, treated him and paid the bills.
Also speaking with Shipping Position Daily, the Public Relations Officer of the MRS Tank Farm; NUPENG unit; Mr. Napoleon Inegbedion claimed that there has never been a confrontation between the drivers and any of the maritime stakeholders.
"The officer was fighting our VIO and that is why we did that small demonstration". "Apart from the incident that happened, we have never had problems with customs, if that rugged man had not broken our VIO's head, there wouldn't be any problem" Napoleon said.
He debunked allegation of indiscriminate parking levied by the customs against tanker drivers saying that it is the maritime trucks that usually park their trucks wrongly.
"Why are they always complaining about petroleum tankers, why don't they complain of the container trucks, they are the ones that usually cause traffic around the area" he said.
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