By Joshua Yousouph
As the Yuletide season approaches, findings by Shipping Position Daily have revealed that there is an unusual increase in the number of checkpoints along the land borders in Lagos state, especially towards the Seme border.
The number of security agencies and their personnel have increased; all claiming to be combating smuggling and illegal activities.
Checks by our correspondent revealed that the route to the Seme border now has an intimidating number of men from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Military.
No fewer than 100 checkpoints have been created by government security personnel between Seme Border and Gbaji bridge where they extort money from traders and smugglers who move goods like foreign parboiled Rice and frozen food products from the Cotonou (Benin Republic) end of the border into Nigeria. Clearing agents and other stakeholders in the area also confirmed this to our correspondent.
Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), Mr Elum Innocent; a clearing agent who operates at the Seme border told Shipping Position Daily last week that as expected, the yuletide season comes with multiple checkpoints by security operatives at the border.
Elum confirmed that there are about 100 checkpoints from the Seme border at (J5 around the border Back gate) to Gbaji Bridge. He also informed that from the Gbaji Bridge/Iyafin axis there are no fewer than 100 checkpoints on both sides of the road before you get to Badagry roundabout.
Elum specifically confirmed the presence of a new Police checkpoint inwards the border. He alleged that the additional checkpoints mounted by the Customs, Army and Police are just used as an avenue to make money for their personal pockets in the guise of checkmating smuggling.
He told our correspondent via the telephone that:” We are approaching the Yuletide period and it is expected that the number of checkpoints will increase. We are currently on our way driving to the Seme border and we just left one additional checkpoint that had not been there before. This is just to substantiate the claim of additional checkpoints. We are also expecting more checkpoints on the roads.
“It is not only Customs that create these additional checkpoints. Like the one we just passed now has the presence of Soldiers, Police, Border patrol and the Customs. The checkpoints are for further drills. Concerning the issue of checkpoints mitigating smuggling activities, I would say this is Nigeria and we know that people who man the checkpoints are just pretending. Ostensibly it is to checkmate smuggling activities but the reality is that they are just working for themselves. They just want to stay there and fill their pockets. So, I wouldn’t say the multiple checkpoints are mitigating smuggling activities because of course smuggling activities go on in the night unhindered here at Seme and that is the truth”.
When contacted, the Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service debunked the allegations stating that the Service has not created any additional checkpoint along the border post.
Speaking with our correspondent last week, the Command Spokesman; Hussaini Abdullahi noted that the command has been combating and suppressing smuggling before Yuletide, and that it has not created any additional checkpoints.
He stressed that there are several records of seizures of smuggled and contraband items at the border by the command and the command is committed to the suppression of smuggling at the border areas.
In his words: “There are no additional checkpoints created by Customs. As the Yuletide season is approaching, the Customs is fully-ready to combat and suppress smuggling activities at the border areas. We have been dealing with smuggling right from the onset and we would continue to deal with that, until it is suppressed to a minimal level.
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On his part, the Chairman of the Seme Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onyekachi Ojinma disagreed with the claims of the Customs.
He alleged that the Customs have more than 20 checkpoints around Seme alone. He also alleged that there are more than 50 checkpoints at that axis.
Ojinma stressed that these checkpoints are illegal and cannot be seen in other neighbouring countries. He informed that there are only two checkpoints between the Nigeria-Benin border post and Togo. He also added that only three checkpoints would be found between Togo and Ghana.
“The Customs have no moral justification on their claim. Customs have no atom of truth in their mouth”, he insisted.
Speaking further, he claimed that, “Police have more than 50 checkpoints, the Army have more than 10 and Customs have more than 20 check points. A vehicle will go through all those rigorous checkings and they still smuggle rice. If you go to Alaba Rago, you will see truckloads of rice off-loading there. Where is the rice coming from? They come from the same roads Customs are mounting their checkpoints”.
“From Nigeria- Benin border post, you would only get two checkpoints throughout the whole Benin till you get to Togo border. From Togo border to Ghana, you will see only three checkpoints. So, what are the checkpoints doing on our own side? What are they checking? That is corruption on the highest level”, Ojinma lamented.
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