By Stephen Ubanna
Importers with their clearing agents at Seme, the busiest Land border in the African Continent are not happy. This is because the Beninois government has not fulfilled its promise of allowing transit Containers to enter into Nigeria in large quantities. The transit cargoes importers had expected their Containers to be handed over by the Beninois Customs Authorities to the Nigerian Customs Seme, Command, in their hundreds but the Containers are said to be coming into the country to be trans-loaded into trucks in trickles.
Informed Customs sources told The Magazine that the transit goods have started coming the country but Biriyu Lasisi, Chairman, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents , ANLCA, who has championed the cause over the last couple of months to get the Beniinois government to drop their charges on transit cargoes from the CFA 9million or N6.5 million per truck. The ANLCA Leadership had made it clear that their clients would not pay anything about the usual N1.4 for a ‘’20’’ Container or N1.8 million for a ‘’40’’. The refusal of the Beninois government to bow to pressure from the Nigerian transit cargoes importers may have forced them to abandon their goods at the Autonomous port of Benin, Cotonou and Bollore port.
The Beninois government had extended the increased fee on Nigerian transit cargoes from Ghana, Togo and Coted’Ivoire, passing through its corridor from Alakoji, a border Community between Benin and Togo, forcing the Nigerian clearing agents to abandon their Clients cargoes at the Alakoji Border Community between Ghana, Togo and Benin.
The situation was so bad as over 3,7000 Nigeria-bound trucks laden with transit goods worth several billions of naira were trapped at the border Community. Bisiyu Fanu Lasisi, Seme Chapter, Chairman, of ANLCA, has said that ‘’they would not stop shouting until the Beniniois Authorities do the right of allowing Nigerian-bound trucks laden with cargoes to come Nigerian in their hundreds instead of coming in trickles of two or threes.
He noted that they are worried because of their clients goods , which have been under rain and sun at the two Beninois seaports and Alakoji border Community might have gone bad, particular, the perishable items, which had brought financial loses the affected Companies.
The Nigerian transit cargoes agents appears to have made it clear to the Benininois Authorities that their clients would not pay the CFA9million, equivalent of N6.5 million because transit cargoes are exempted from all forms of duty under the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS PROTOCOLS on transit goods. The argument of the Beninois Customs Authorities that some the transit cargoes are not produced within the West African sub-region, and therefore, the importing Compan, should be ready to pay full duty on such goods does not hold water.
Although thousands of Nigerian bound-transit trucks are still trapped at the Autonomous port of Benin, Cotonou and Bollore port including Alakoji Border Community, Lasisi, the ANLCA Chairman, Seme Chairman, confirmed that ETLS, goods are coming into the country.
Given the accusations of the Beninois Customs Authorities that some of trapped goods at Alakoji Border Community are not produced within the West African sub-region but in the Asian countries of China and Indian, may have informed why Bello Mohammed Jibo, Comptroller, Seme Command, has beamed his searchlight on the ETLS goods coming into the country to ensure the ETLS , Enforcement , Customs Intelligennce Unit, CIU, another security agencies personnel involved in the examination of the such goods do the right thing. So far, there have not been any case to justify the claims of the Beninois Customs Authorities that some of the ETLS goods are produced in third party countries. An insider told The Value News that Seme Command Area Comptroller is very strict in handling the ETLS, goods.
Perhaps, one area that has attracted the attention of the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, anti-smugglings in the recent time at the Border Community was the use of Dangote Cement trucks that had discharged their export cargo of Cement in Benin, Togo or Ghana and in return use the same truck to smuggle foreign par-boiled rice into the country.
In the last two weeks, Deputy Comptroller Hussein Kehinde Ejibunu, of FOU, Zone A, Patroll team officers, had seized three of the Dangote ETLS trucks, used in smuggling scores of ‘’50’’ each bags of rice. Those who thinks that the Dangote ETLS trucks used for Cement export caught in the act of smuggling rice into the country were intercepted along the Lagos –Seme border would be disappointed. The trucks were said to have been intercepted along the Idiroko road in Ogun state.
Although the Dangote ETLS Trucks Concealed with rice mixed with Cement were intercepted around the Idiroko axis, have stopped the Command Operations and Lagos Roving under the close watch of Jack Okpabi, and Assistant Comptroller, from deploying his officers to Seme border axis to keep a close tab on the smugglers in the area. The news making the rounds was the Command officers at the Gbaji Checkpoint may have Compromised which may have informed why the officers are not making Contraband seizures particular, Foreign rice and Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, like their Seme Command Counterparts are doing. There may not be any reason for Comparison, as an officer said that the whole of Seme Jurisdictions are under the Command.
Last Wednesday, September 23, 2021, indeed, was not too rosy for the FOU, Zone A, Gbaji Checkpoint officers, as a Patrol Team, led by Jude Ohagwu, a Superintendent of Customs from the Command had led a Special Patrol Team to Gbaji Checkpoint in a bid to too set up a temporary checkpoint over an undisclosed assignment at the Seme Jurisdiction but was frustrated by the Assistant Comptroller in-charge of the Gbaji checkpoint. It was a display of arrogance by the two rival groups from the FOU, Zone A, which became a laughing stock to other officers.
When the information filtered out the quarrel of the two rival FOU, Zone A, Groups, the Magazine rushed to the location but did not meet the officer in-charge of the Gbaji checkpoint, who is not well known to the Reporter. The Magazine was informed that he had followed a Team from the Customs Headquarters on an assignment around the Badagry axis.
On Thursday, September, 24, 2021, the Magazine was at gbaji Checkpoint again, to speak with the Officer-in-charge. The Reporter had met an officer who had placed his leg on the table and asked if the AC, overseeing the checkpoint was around or the two I/C, to get their own side of the story on the circumstances that led to the clash with the ohagwu led Team from the Command.
The Magazine tried to be friendly with him to get him to speak but he remained very unfriendly. His response, there was no clash with any other Team from the Command. The Magazine threatened to take up the matter with the Head of the of the Command,Ikeja Offic, which may have annoyed him. His This is evident going by his remarks: It is your business with them. As far as I am concerned, ‘’we are doing our job here’’.
A retired officer who had served at the Gbaji Checkpoint told the Magazine on Phone that the Assistant Comptroller overseeing the checkpoint and his officers need to sit up. He noted that when Jack Okpabi Assistant, an Assistant Comptroller, was in-charge of the checkpoint, he gave petrol smugglers tough time, that the gutter, opposite their officer at the foot of the Gbaji bridge was always littered with gallons of 25 litres of petrol, particular, and other items, both On Sea And Land, which were regularly transferred to the Command premises . The Seme Command Operations unit and anti-bunkering officers at Gbaji , appear to have stolen the show from FOU, officers, who needs to sit up and work more on intelligence to achieve result, the retired officer said.
