By Amina Ojelabi
The National Compliance Joint Taskforce of Licensed Clearing Agents (NCJIFLCA) has launched a renewed campaign to eradicate illegal checkpoints and other operational abuses allegedly perpetrated by Customs officers and personnel of various security agencies across Nigeria’s ports and border routes.
The group, comprising licensed clearing agents, security professionals, and concerned stakeholders, said the proliferation of unauthorized roadblocks, illegal seizures, and extortion has worsened the cost of living, disrupted trade flow, and damaged Nigeria’s reputation within the global maritime community.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) International Conference Centre in Apapa, Lagos, NCJIFLCA President, High Chief Dr. Basil Chudi Nwolisa, said the engagement was aimed at securing media partnership to expose and curb the illegal practices weighing down the port system.
Nwolisa highlighted numerous “man-made” bottlenecks in the Nigerian port environment, including disregard for established compliance frameworks, deliberate delays in container deposit refunds by shipping companies, frequent interception and seizure of legitimately cleared cargoes by the Customs Federal Operations Unit (FOU), and extortion of truck drivers along major highways.
“These challenges have become an embarrassment to our country before the international trade community,” he lamented.
He emphasized that the Taskforce was established to help Nigeria combat entrenched corruption within the maritime sector and on the highways, but noted that collaboration with media stakeholders like MARAN is essential for success.
According to him, the Customs practice of mounting multiple checkpoints to re-examine already-cleared consignments serves no national interest but instead fuels corruption and contributes to rising market prices. “If goods have been examined and released at the port, what business do Customs officers have stopping them again on the highways?” he queried.
He added that the situation has become so severe that even transporters of perishable goods are being forced out of business due to continuous extortion by officials, including officers of the NDLEA and other agencies.
The group expressed optimism that, with MARAN’s partnership, significant progress would be achieved over the next 12 months in eliminating the practices that undermine trade facilitation and economic stability.
NCJIFLCA officers also used the visit to formally invite MARAN to the Taskforce’s third anniversary celebration slated for Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at Rockview Hotel, Festac Town. The event will feature the National President’s birthday celebration, a fundraising ceremony, and the inauguration of various Taskforce chapters.
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