NPA: Raises Alarm Over Extortion Along Tin Can Port Access Road
By: Bisi Akingbade
The Managing Director, Muhammed Bello- Koko said on the eve of the port corridor clearance operations carried out in collaboration with Lagos State Government earlier this month, “these acts of extortion and allied illegalities are injurious to trade facilitation, which is our core function and we cannot allow these nefarious characters make nonsense of the gateways to the national economy which the ports constitute”.
“We had in the past visited punitive measures on our staff who were complicit in such unethical practices, and I want to reiterate that once we are confronted with evidence of any our staff involved in these acts of sabotage, we would sanction them in line with our employees’ handbook, which has zero tolerance for such malfeasance”.
Bello-Koko enumerated the support of the police in tackling the extortion menace while receiving the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Idowu Owohunwa earlier this month at the NPA Headquarters. “the jurisdictional rule that restricts the powers of the Port Authority Police Command, PAPC to the Port premises, is the more reason why we are calling for increased synergy between PAPC and officers of the Lagos State Police Command”.
The Nigerian Ports Authority under Koko had completed the perimeter fencing of the Tincan Island Port to curb unauthorized access to the port premises.
However, the sanity achieved by this measure is localized within the Port, whilst majority of these illegalities happen along the port access road which is not within the NPA’s purview.
It will be recalled that the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, had in March, 2023 published a video footage showing the assault these extortionists visit on trucks inbound and outbound the port corridor.
The Authority’s fact finding has identified flash points of extortion ranging from 500 Naira to as high as 5,000 Naira and the mode of perpetration.
Nigerian Ports Authority however solicits the collaboration of sister government agencies operating along the port corridor to sustainably tackle this menace that is impeding ease of doing business around our ports.
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