Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has fingered shipping companies as culprits in llegal importation of arms and other prohibited goods into the country.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Rtd. Col. Hameed Ali who made the allegation said this has raised a lot of concerns not only for the Customs but also for other Nigerians in view of the security implication.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting held at the Headquarters of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Apapa, Lagos, the Customs boss maintained that ignorance of the content of the containers by the service providers can no longer be acceptable.
The customs boss threatened that henceforth any vessel caught bringing prohibited goods into the country will be arrested and detained, insisting that the security of the country remains very important and cannot be compromised.
He urged the shipping companies to join the Service to block the loopholes through which importers have taken advantage to bring in dangerous arms into the country.
Ali also urged the shipping companies to palletise all goods except bulk cargoes, explaining that this was because examination of such items was easier and faster.
He said “The issue of being ignorant of the content of the container will no more be acceptable. Carrying out examination on unpalletised cargoes was always a problem as palletisation of containerized cargoes makes cargo examination easy and faster”.
On the 24 hour cargo clearance, Ali said there has to be synergy between the service providers and the Customs for it to work.
Ali blamed many stakeholders for not cooperating on the issue of 24 hour cargo clearance.
Executive Secretary of the NSC, Barr Hassan Bello who spoke during the occasion solicited the support and cooperation of the service providers for the implementation of the Executive Order.
He explained that for the execution of trade policies alone without the cooperation of stakeholders will make Executive Order difficult to implement.
The stakeholders meeting was attended by all the agencies of the transport sector operating in the ports, shipping companies, terminal operators, customs agents, freight forwarders, among others.
