When Police Jostles for Customs’ Roles at Ports
AIG ARI SPEAKING TO THE FREIGHT FORWARDERS WHEN HE VISITED NAGAFF ON TUESDAY.. HE IS FLANKED BY DR. ANIEBONAM AND SIMEON NWONU
By Francis Ugwoke
The nation’s ports environment is one that attracts all manner of people. It is basically home for importers and their customs agents who are involved in trade facilitation. The ports also attract government security agents who come there for the sake of their statutory obligations. Among these agencies is the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) which is playing a key role. They provide security for the general well-being of all who are involved in trade. It is for this reason that the Police Force has a special Unit known as Maritime Police Command. The Command is headed by an officer in the rank of Commissioner. Beyond this, the Police also has an Assistant Inspector General of Police which supervises the Maritime Command.
Over the years, the Police has had a robust relationship with both the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other key agencies, like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), customs agents, and others. But in recent time, there has been friction between the Police and the stakeholders. The allegation against the Maritime Command is that its personnel have been showing interest on the statutory roles of the Customs at the ports. This is bizarre.
In a petition to the new Inspection General of police, Kayode Egbetokun , the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) threatened to withdraw their services if the excesses of the police officers posted to the ports were not checked. In the protest letter signed by Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim, the National Coordinator of the 100 percent Compliance team of the NAGAFF, the customs brokers condemned the activities of the police officers, saying this was affecting trade facilitation.
In the petition, Tanko Ibrahim, who is also an elected member of the governing board of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding Practice in Nigeria (CRFFN) accused some police officers of conniving with the shipping companies in the indiscriminate stopping and detention of exited containers from the ports. The purpose, the freight forwarders alleged, was for extortion of money from the owners.
Tanko said the extortionist activities of the police were curtailed under the past administration of police IG due to the outcry of the oppressed freight forwarders.
He lamented that the menace has now resurged with new vigour, as some police officers now carry out their extortions in the open.
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) is also not happy with the Police and has told its officers and other agencies to stop intercepting and checking goods already cleared by the Customs at the ports.
The Executive Secretary/CEO of the NSC, Hon. Emmanuel Jime who spoke during a multi-agency stakeholders enlightenment, said the Police should stop detaining containers already cleared by the Customs inside the ports or along the ports corridor.
Jime expressed concerns on why the Police Force detains a container in the ports which has been cleared by the Customs.
Jime said, “The problem we have now is that we have Customs on one side checking cargoes, and police on the other hand also checking cargoes. These are things that should not exist. If Customs clears a cargo, the Police do not have the authority to detain such cargo.
“If the police has intelligence on a cargo, they should escort the container to the final spot of discharge and then check the container right there. Congesting our ports or ports access roads with detained containers is not helping the ease of doing business at our ports”.
The Police had recently accused some members of NAGAFF of involvement in the clearance of containers of toxic ponmo and bulletproof doors at the ports without documents. But in reaction to the allegation, the National Secretary of NAGGAFF, Fwdr. Igwe Kingsley said every investigation carried out by the association has shown that the allegation was not true.
The Association challenged the Maritime Police to publish names and contacts of the importers involved in such deals.
The Police while reacting to barrages of criticisms on detention of cargoes already cleared by the Customs, in press statement issued by ASP Ehinmode Rowland, Acting Police Public Relations Officer, Maritime Police Command, FHQ Annex, Lagos, insisted that it has powers to take certain actions in the ports.
The Police made it clear that it has the statutory right to stop any cargo at any point for search. The Police while responding to the statement credited to the NSC on the need to follow the container to a safer destination insisted that certain laws spelled out the duties and functions of the Nigeria Police Force.
Observers believe that looking at the police argument on possessing the powers to stop and check any cargo released by the Customs, there appears to be a big issue uploading at the ports. There is no process that it perfect. Customs officers in charge of examination are not always perfect and this explains why some of the goods they had released at the ports are sometimes intercepted by the operatives of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) and even the disbanded CG Strike Force. Sometimes, they intercept some consignments earlier released at the ports over issues of smuggling and under-payment. In this case, the operatives do the needful. The question being raised by observers is whether the Police will now have to subject all consignments released by the Customs for another round of checks?. Industry stakeholders believe this will lead to increased congestion at the ports and therefore the negative impact on the cargo dwell time at the ports. This will also mean more demurrage for importers with the consequences of higher prices of goods as importers will always want to recover what has been spent at the ports on the goods being sold to the final consumers. Observers are of the view that the Customs leadership should take up the matter with the IGP to resolve the issues as the Police cannot continue to subject goods already examined and released by the Customs to another round of examination except in the case of suspicion of arms which must be proved and not just frivolous. Even in such case, the attention of the Customs should be drawn to it during examination. This is to avoid a situation where the Police relies on its powers to cleverly turn into a second customs body in the ports.
The nation’s ports environment is one that attracts all manner of people. It is basically home for importers and their customs agents who are involved in trade facilitation. The ports also attract government security agents who come there for the sake of their statutory obligations. Among these agencies is the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) which is playing a key role. They provide security for the general well-being of all who are involved in trade. It is for this reason that the Police Force has a special Unit known as Maritime Police Command. The Command is headed by an officer in the rank of Commissioner. Beyond this, the Police also has an Assistant Inspector General of Police which supervises the Maritime Command.
Over the years, the Police has had a robust relationship with both the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other key agencies, like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), customs agents, and others. But in recent time, there has been friction between the Police and the stakeholders. The allegation against the Maritime Command is that its personnel have been showing interest on the statutory roles of the Customs at the ports. This is bizarre.
In a petition to the new Inspection General of police, Kayode Egbetokun , the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) threatened to withdraw their services if the excesses of the police officers posted to the ports were not checked. In the protest letter signed by Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim, the National Coordinator of the 100 percent Compliance team of the NAGAFF, the customs brokers condemned the activities of the police officers, saying this was affecting trade facilitation.
In the petition, Tanko Ibrahim, who is also an elected member of the governing board of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding Practice in Nigeria (CRFFN) accused some police officers of conniving with the shipping companies in the indiscriminate stopping and detention of exited containers from the ports. The purpose, the freight forwarders alleged, was for extortion of money from the owners.
Tanko said the extortionist activities of the police were curtailed under the past administration of police IG due to the outcry of the oppressed freight forwarders.
He lamented that the menace has now resurged with new vigour, as some police officers now carry out their extortions in the open.
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) is also not happy with the Police and has told its officers and other agencies to stop intercepting and checking goods already cleared by the Customs at the ports.
The Executive Secretary/CEO of the NSC, Hon. Emmanuel Jime who spoke during a multi-agency stakeholders enlightenment, said the Police should stop detaining containers already cleared by the Customs inside the ports or along the ports corridor.
Jime expressed concerns on why the Police Force detains a container in the ports which has been cleared by the Customs.
Jime said, “The problem we have now is that we have Customs on one side checking cargoes, and police on the other hand also checking cargoes. These are things that should not exist. If Customs clears a cargo, the Police do not have the authority to detain such cargo.
“If the police has intelligence on a cargo, they should escort the container to the final spot of discharge and then check the container right there. Congesting our ports or ports access roads with detained containers is not helping the ease of doing business at our ports”.
The Police had recently accused some members of NAGAFF of involvement in the clearance of containers of toxic ponmo and bulletproof doors at the ports without documents. But in reaction to the allegation, the National Secretary of NAGGAFF, Fwdr. Igwe Kingsley said every investigation carried out by the association has shown that the allegation was not true.
The Association challenged the Maritime Police to publish names and contacts of the importers involved in such deals.
The Police while reacting to barrages of criticisms on detention of cargoes already cleared by the Customs, in press statement issued by ASP Ehinmode Rowland, Acting Police Public Relations Officer, Maritime Police Command, FHQ Annex, Lagos, insisted that it has powers to take certain actions in the ports.
The Police made it clear that it has the statutory right to stop any cargo at any point for search. The Police while responding to the statement credited to the NSC on the need to follow the container to a safer destination insisted that certain laws spelled out the duties and functions of the Nigeria Police Force.
Observers believe that looking at the police argument on possessing the powers to stop and check any cargo released by the Customs, there appears to be a big issue uploading at the ports. There is no process that it perfect. Customs officers in charge of examination are not always perfect and this explains why some of the goods they had released at the ports are sometimes intercepted by the operatives of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) and even the disbanded CG Strike Force. Sometimes, they intercept some consignments earlier released at the ports over issues of smuggling and under-payment. In this case, the operatives do the needful. The question being raised by observers is whether the Police will now have to subject all consignments released by the Customs for another round of checks?. Industry stakeholders believe this will lead to increased congestion at the ports and therefore the negative impact on the cargo dwell time at the ports. This will also mean more demurrage for importers with the consequences of higher prices of goods as importers will always want to recover what has been spent at the ports on the goods being sold to the final consumers. Observers are of the view that the Customs leadership should take up the matter with the IGP to resolve the issues as the Police cannot continue to subject goods already examined and released by the Customs to another round of examination except in the case of suspicion of arms which must be proved and not just frivolous. Even in such case, the attention of the Customs should be drawn to it during examination. This is to avoid a situation where the Police relies on its powers to cleverly turn into a second customs body in the ports.
FOLLOW US
About Post Author
