The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has expressed serious concern about the growing issue of extortion occurring on the roads leading to the Lagos and Tin-Can Island Ports.
Recently, the NPA took action to clear the port corridor of shanties that provided a haven for criminals involved in these extortion activities. The NPA highlighted that such acts of extortion, along with other illegal activities, have a detrimental impact on trade facilitation.
Mohammed Bello-Koko, the managing director of NPA, emphasized the significance of trade facilitation and the crucial role played by the gateways to the national economy. He mentioned that in the past, the NPA had taken measures against staff members found to be complicit in such unethical practices. Bello-Koko assured that any evidence of staff involvement in sabotage would lead to appropriate sanctions in line with public service rules and the NPA’s zero-tolerance policy for such wrongdoing.
The NPA has conducted investigations to identify areas where extortion is prevalent. Truckers have been subjected to paying illegal tolls ranging from N500 to as high as N5,000 at these identified flashpoints.
In an effort to address the issue, the NPA sought the support of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, during a meeting at the NPA headquarters. They urged for increased collaboration between the Port Authority Police Command (PAPC) and the officers of the Lagos State Police Command, as the jurisdictional rule currently limits the powers of PAPC to the port premises.
Additionally, the NPA appealed for cooperation from other government agencies operating along the port corridor to collectively combat this menace that hinders the ease of doing business around the ports.
