Freight Forwarders Face 25% Penalty Over 5,000 Trapped Containers

• Freight Forwarders Face 25% Penalty Over 5,000 Trapped Containers

The Nigeria Customs Service has agreed to resume clearing of over 5,000 third-party containers trapped at the Lagos ports.

The reprieve, however, carries 25 per cent penalty, our correspondent gathered.

The containers were trapped as a result of a suspension order issued in January.

The Customs authority, in a circular signed by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Tariff and Trade, Issa Talatu, had ordered the immediate suspension of clearance of goods with discrepancies in documentation.

Talatu had expressed concerns over the increasing number of Form M, Bill of Lading and Pre-arrival assessment reports that bore different names from those of the consignees.

Over 5,000 containers were reportedly trapped at the ports following the directive.

The Customs also deployed multiple units of ad-hoc task force teams to enforce the directive.

In response to appeals from freight forwarders, the Service directed Area Controllers of its various units to resume clearing of the containers.

It was further gathered that the Compliance team deployed by the Comptroller-General of the NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.)to look into the issue had been withdrawn.

This was confirmed by the Vice-President of the western zone of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim.

He, however, said that the amnesty granted to the controversial containers was not without a cost, adding that owners of the trapped containers would pay 25 per cent of the duties payable on the containers as a penalty.

Ibrahim lauded the Customs for the timely intervention, saying that it had brought succour to the clearing agents and owners of the containers.

He pledged that the freight forwarders would not abuse the privilege.

According to him, in addition to withdrawing the Compliance team from the ports, the Customs boss has also promised to withdraw other ad-hoc teams from Customs clearance procedures at the ports.

He said, “On behalf of my appreciative colleagues, I thank the CG and DCG Talatu for this uncommon gesture and high sense of responsibility they displayed on this matter.

“We can only wish that other task force teams are withdrawn from the ports to ensure smooth cargo clearance procedures.”

Earlier, some aggrieved Customs brokers under the aegis of Concerned Freight Forwarders in the western zone threatened to go on strike if task forces such as the CG Strike force, Compliance team, Customs police, Surveillance team, Information team and other ad-hoc teams sent from the headquarters to the ports were not withdrawn in 72 hours.

It took the intervention of some members of the governing board of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria to douse the tension.

The Council promised to interface with the Customs high command to resolve the matter.