Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — The Association of Maritime Truck Owners, AMATO, has threatened to down tools nationwide to protest the incessant arrest and detention of trucks by the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS.
In a letter to the Comptroller General of Customs and dated August 5th, 2022, President of AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi said that if all detained trucks are not released immediately, the group will have no other choice than withdraw its service nationwide.
Ogungbemi also said that the seizure and possible auction of their trucks is causing untold hardship on truck owners adding that for a long time, truckers have been passing through this injustice in the hands of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Part of the letter read: “We have been passing through this injustice in the hands of Nigeria Customs Service as a result of dishonest declaration of actual goods that importers and their collaborating agents are having in their containers.
Truckers are just commercial transporters of goods. We are only invited by the agents to come and carry goods to and from the ports after Customs must have examined and approved the release of goods in containers to importers and agents. But unfortunately, after loading, the containers are duly examined and released by Customs on our trucks, they will waylay the trucks on the road, seize and detain our trucks in their yard together with containers with question marks.
“Does Customs arrest ships that do bring illicit goods to Nigeria for complicity, does Customs seal the terminal that receive contraband and dangerous consignments in their yards for complicity in storing illicit consignments?
“Are commercial trucks involved in physical examination of goods in the ports together with Customs, Police, DSS, NDLEA and others to see what the containers are carrying?
“Does it sound just for Customs officers and other government agencies that jointly examined and approved the exit of contraband and other dangerous goods in the ports to be holding truckers responsible for their fault and negligence?
“Is it the truckers that is short paying the government import duty on goods or the importers and their agents?
“If the answer is no, we are calling on the Nigeria Customs Service to release all our trucks detained in their yard or withdraw our service nationwide in protest against the unjust seizure if our trucks.
“Our members are facing agonizing economic hardships. Their source of livelihood are being seized by the Nigeria Customs for the offense committed by importers and their dubious collaborating agents.”
Speaking on the development, Comrade Kayode Odunowo, Chairman, National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, said his group is not part of the planned withdrawal of service by AMATO.
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