• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Truck owners accuse Lagos enforcement team of extortion, seek removal

Extortion remains threat to Apapa call-up system two years after

Truck owners under the aegis of Committee of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA) have again accused members of the Lagos Enforcement Team responsible for managing truck movement at Lagos Ports, of extorting money from truckers.

The enforcement team comprises the Police, LASTMA officials, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and NPA Security Department.

They also called on the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to scrap and urgently recall the enforcement team back to the secretariat in order to stop them from extorting money from truckers on their legitimate business.

According to a press statement by Adeyinka Aroyewun, president of COMTUA, the electronic call up system has also broken down, which enables the enforcement team to extort truckers.

Aroyewun also opposed payment on non-port access roads to ETO at Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) and BRAWAL, stating that the movement of trucks from Apapa route to Tin-Can is illegal and must stop.

Read also: Taskforce intercepts trucks with 90,000 litres of adulterated diesel in Aba

He also kicked against the payment of demurrage while trucks are in the garages, especially when the truck is at pre-gate terminal such as at Lillypond.

“The attention of the COMTUA, comprising 10 federating unions and associations, has been drawn to the obnoxious activities of the Lagos State Enforcement Team which is a clear breach of their mandate to decongest the Apapa Port area using the ETO Scheme. The enforcement team has compromised and we reject them,” the statement reads.

On his part, Jonathan Nicol, president of Shippers Association of Lagos State, who shared similar experience with truckers, said the collection of tolls on checkpoints mounted by members of enforcement is still ongoing on port roads as they charge truckers as much as N80, 000 to drop empty containers at some shipping lines holding-bays.

According to him, payment of tolls have created some unrest between the transporter and the cargo owner, and the cost still goes back to the shipper by way of the high cost of transporting containers.