Send left, the Director of Regulatory Services, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mrs Margaret Ogbonna, other senior officials of the council and a representative of the AIG Maritime at a stakeholders meeting convened by the Council in Apapa on FridayShippers Council reassures stakeholders of enhancing cargo security
Lagos, December 19, The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Dr Pius Akutah, has assured stakeholders that the council was working with the police to ensure safety and security of cargoes at the ports.
Akutah made the assurance during a stakeholders meeting on the random blocking of containers by the maritime police command and alleged gratification held at the council Headquarters in Lagos on Friday.
He noted that the council attention had been drawn to a report that says that Nigeria Shippers’ Council were conniving with the Maritime Police.
“Wee said No, we can not do that, we can only work together with the Police to enhance the security of cargoes.
“The police has been cooperating with us very well in this regard, they also have their own mandate and we cannot prevent them from carrying out their mandate.
“but in that work environment, we must ensure that the safety of cargoes are guaranteed at various ports.
“We are not complicating issues for you, we are not putting additional cost to your business.
“Our complaint unit is always up and doing, so many times we receive your complains which we send to them and they immediately work on them,” Akutah said.
He urged stakeholders to approach the council if they were having constraints in their businesses and promised to resolve it with the port police.
Also speaking, the Director, Regulatory Services Department, of the NSC, Mrs Margaret Ogbonna, urged importers, cleaning agents and freight forwarders to write their petitions through Shippers Council and also to the police in cases on extortion on blocked containers.
Ogbonna said that the council cannot compelled the police to stop blocking containers based on intelligence, considering the level of insecurity in the country.
“The council will go through any documented complaints, please attach evidence and we shall address it. Do not pay any fee, resist paying any fees that is not accepted.
“We cannot take any decision on cleared cargo not to be intercepted, it is a sensitive decision to make. The fact that drugs and arms are found in already cleared containers means that the importers, officers are all culpable,”Ogbonna said.
She urged stakeholders to avoid paying any money to police and asked them to make their petition through the council for intervention.
Public Relations Officer, Maritime Police Command at Kam Salem House, Obalende Lagos, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Rasheed Adebayo,
has said that it intercepted container laden with arms and ammunition.
Adebayo noted that they also intercepted other containers with tramadol on the road which has already scaled through all clearance processes by relevant agencies at the Lagos Ports.
Adebayo stated that the police carried out its operations based on intelligence, assuring that the police would not compromise national security on the alter of trade facilitation adding that blocking of containers by the police cannot be stopped.
He called on stakeholders to report cases of extortion by any officer to the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Maritime Command.
Adebayo also deflated reports that the Shippers’ council was conniving with some officers to extort clearing agents on blocked containers.
He mentioned that the NSC had always been at the forefront of fighting for the right of port stakeholders.
Stakeholders who attended the meeting, including the Chairman of Apapa Chapter of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Chief Emeka Chukwumalu, condemn the blocking of containers by the maritime police.
He said that the police should be ready to bear the cost of demurrages accrued in the course of its investigation of containers.
The event also witnessed stakeholders who participated at the meeting include; the President of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO),Chief Remi Ogungbemi, his General Secretary, Sanni Bala Mohammed, Dominic Chukwuemeka, Secretary of Joint Association of freight forwarders, shippers among others.
