ANLCA Board Member Demands N1m Monthly ‘Settlement’ to Ensure Crisis Free Tenure for National President
By Onyinye Apeh
A member of the estranged board of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA) had allegedly demanded payment of the sum of N1million monthly to ensure that the President, Iju Tony Nwabunike enjoys his four years tenure in office.
Sources told SHIPPING DAY that the board member made the demand after he was approached to give support to Nwabunike shortly after his election.
It was gathered that the ANLCA President on receiving this demand swore he would never succumb to such blackmail.
Our source said the refusal to yield to the demand by the board member could be part of the reasons why the President and his executive have had issues in the Western zone of the association.
The source said the series of crisis with chapter chairmen failing to pay dues in Lagos could be part of the unfolding of the threat by the board member.
ANLCA has been having board crisis which has also affected the entire association with the latest attack on Tuesday this week.
The Tuesday episode in which 11 thugs out of 40 of them that attacked the secretariat has been condemned by stakeholders as barbaric.
Our source also said the attack was targeted at stopping the courtesy visit of members of the Association of Igbo Maritime Practitioners (ASIMP) to Nwabunike on Tuesday.
Members of ASIMP led by Chief Ozo Chukwura had however paid a solidarity visit to the ANLCA President after the early morning attack on the association secretariat.
Some members of ASIMP said noting would have stopped them from visiting the ANLCA President as planned even if the Police had not intervened to address the attack on the secretariat.
In the attack, the hoodlums, according to an witness were armed with AK47 rifles, Pump Action guns, pistols, daggers and charms.
The miscreants had invaded the secretariat in the early hours of Tuesday at Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, during which they destroyed part of the building, before carting away valuables and documents.
Sources said the thugs were allegedly led by two leaders of the Grimaldi Chapter of ANLCA and Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited PTML chapters.
The thugs who according to eye witness account were allegedly led into the secretariat by the two chapter chairmen identified as Haastrup and Obey respectively had chased the secretariat staff away, including the security men.
They were said to have arrived the secretariat with a copy of an advertorial published in Punch on September 30 sacking members of the Board of Trustees BOT of the association.
Some of the attackers, according to an eye witness were putting on black T-shirts which inscription read: ANLCA Western Zone Taskforce.
The arrested thugs are being detained at the Police Area C Command, Festac ,
Sources said the Area Command Festac will hand over the suspects to the Special Anti -Robbery Squad SARS following the arms and ammunition that were found with the thugs.
Reacting to the ugly incident, President of ANLCA warned that his peaceful approach to address the issues in the association should not be seen as cowardice.
Nwabunike said he has made efforts to settle crisis in the association with application of peace which some people see as cowardice.
He told newsmen, “the people we are trying to make peace actually do not want it. My life would have been at grave risk if I were.in the office when these dangerously armed persons broke into the peace of the premises. It is no longer a joke because people sponsor others to attack us”.
Maritime industry stakeholders who reacted to the attack condemned leaders of the association in the Western Zone. Including chapter chairmen for failing to embrace people for personal gains.
A member of the estranged board of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA) had allegedly demanded payment of the sum of N1million monthly to ensure that the President, Iju Tony Nwabunike enjoys his four years tenure in office.
Sources told SHIPPING DAY that the board member made the demand after he was approached to give support to Nwabunike shortly after his election.
It was gathered that the ANLCA President on receiving this demand swore he would never succumb to such blackmail.
Our source said the refusal to yield to the demand by the board member could be part of the reasons why the President and his executive have had issues in the Western zone of the association.
The source said the series of crisis with chapter chairmen failing to pay dues in Lagos could be part of the unfolding of the threat by the board member.
ANLCA has been having board crisis which has also affected the entire association with the latest attack on Tuesday this week.
The Tuesday episode in which 11 thugs out of 40 of them that attacked the secretariat has been condemned by stakeholders as barbaric.
Our source also said the attack was targeted at stopping the courtesy visit of members of the Association of Igbo Maritime Practitioners (ASIMP) to Nwabunike on Tuesday.
Members of ASIMP led by Chief Ozo Chukwura had however paid a solidarity visit to the ANLCA President after the early morning attack on the association secretariat.
Some members of ASIMP said noting would have stopped them from visiting the ANLCA President as planned even if the Police had not intervened to address the attack on the secretariat.
In the attack, the hoodlums, according to an witness were armed with AK47 rifles, Pump Action guns, pistols, daggers and charms.
The miscreants had invaded the secretariat in the early hours of Tuesday at Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, during which they destroyed part of the building, before carting away valuables and documents.
Sources said the thugs were allegedly led by two leaders of the Grimaldi Chapter of ANLCA and Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited PTML chapters.
The thugs who according to eye witness account were allegedly led into the secretariat by the two chapter chairmen identified as Haastrup and Obey respectively had chased the secretariat staff away, including the security men.
They were said to have arrived the secretariat with a copy of an advertorial published in Punch on September 30 sacking members of the Board of Trustees BOT of the association.
Some of the attackers, according to an eye witness were putting on black T-shirts which inscription read: ANLCA Western Zone Taskforce.
The arrested thugs are being detained at the Police Area C Command, Festac ,
Sources said the Area Command Festac will hand over the suspects to the Special Anti -Robbery Squad SARS following the arms and ammunition that were found with the thugs.
Reacting to the ugly incident, President of ANLCA warned that his peaceful approach to address the issues in the association should not be seen as cowardice.
Nwabunike said he has made efforts to settle crisis in the association with application of peace which some people see as cowardice.
He told newsmen, “the people we are trying to make peace actually do not want it. My life would have been at grave risk if I were.in the office when these dangerously armed persons broke into the peace of the premises. It is no longer a joke because people sponsor others to attack us”.
Maritime industry stakeholders who reacted to the attack condemned leaders of the association in the Western Zone. Including chapter chairmen for failing to embrace people for personal gains.
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