The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) introduced the electronic call-up system, powered by the Eto App, to tackle the issue of truck congestion in Apapa ports and restore order to that economic gateway. However, indiscriminate extortion and touting by hoodlums and corrupt security agencies along ports’ corridors have continued to impede the efficiency of the system. In this report, The ICIR’s NURUDEEN AKEWUSHOLA details how this development threatens the maritime sector.

As he headed out to work one sunny afternoon in November 2022, Chidera Ajaekwe, a truck driver, was filled with anticipation akin to the blazing sun in Lagos. He hoped to make a sufficient income to send to his parents in the village. Unfortunately, the trip turned out to be a horrible experience.

The 29-year-old, along with his fellow truck drivers, were transporting goods from a warehouse to the Tin Can Port when they were intercepted by a group of miscreants at an illegal checkpoint in Agboju. The thugs demanded a fee of ₦1,000 per truck, but the drivers were unable to comply since they had already expended their funds in settling the demands of previous groups of criminals at prior junctions.

Enraged, the thugs resorted to using force to compel compliance with their demands. In a violent outburst, one of them threw a big stone at Chidera’s eyes, causing him to collapse to the ground. Chidera cried out in agony as his eyes bled. As soon as the thugs saw what they had done, they fled the scene.

Chidera’s colleagues rushed him to the garage, and then to the police station to report the incident. However, when they got there, the police said it was not within their jurisdiction, advising them to visit another police station.

To save his life, his colleagues took him to the hospital, but by the time they got there, his eyes were already swollen, and he had lost a lot of blood.

Today, Chidera still lives in pain that reminds him of the ugly encounter, but his attackers still walk freely on the streets of Lagos.

“I have been having sleepless nights since the incident occurred, as the eyes still pain me any time I wish to sleep,” Chidera said, trying without success to cushion the tears trundling down his face because of the excruciating pain that resulted from the injury.

Chidera’s boss, who identified himself as Kayode, told The ICIR that he had spent over ₦100,000 in treating his eyes and that they had plans to go to a specialist hospital, where they already knew they would expend more money to secure treatment for him.

“The government is not doing well. If we talk about it, they would say it’s the government that put them there. They would be saying they are Sanwoolu boys,” he lamented.

Like Chidera, many truck drivers who frequent Lagos ports have been victims of attacks by these violent toll collectors in Lagos who harass businesses and collect illegal taxes from them. They generally create unwarranted bottlenecks in the import and export businesses conducted at the ports.

The open impunity
Findings by The ICIR show that there are several stations of extortionists operating publicly along the Apapa and Tin Can ports corridor. Unfortunately, their activities are aided by security operatives, especially the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), a Lagos State-owned agency under the Ministry of Transportation.

Some victims who spoke with The ICIR identified non-state actors at the centre of this sharp practice as Lagos touts, members of Road Transport Employees Association( RTEAN), Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Maritimes Workers Union(MWUN), National Union of Road Transport Workers(NURTW) and Lagos State Parks and Garages (LASPARK).

While the complicit state actors are officers of the Lagos police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Federal Road Safety Commission.

This act of impunity by state and non-state actors which continues to frustrate the digital system and port operations has also led to several ghastly accidents which claimed the lives of citizens.

Data collated via independent oral testimonies from over 20 truck drivers operating at Apapa and Tin Can ports shows that there are about 15 channels of extortion along the Tin Can terminal axis and about 21 along the Apapa Port axis, and each truck driver said he pays at least N30,000 daily in settling thugs, popularly called Area Boys, before reaching their destinations.

The roads leading to the ports in Lagos were heavily congested on the bright afternoon of Saturday, November 26, 2022. Numerous trucks and fuel tankers lined up in extensive queues, vying to reach their intended destinations.

Disguised as a truck driver, this reporter embarked on an investigative journey on some of the routes associated with the ports. Findings show that the touts, who mount checkpoints at different stations leading to the ports, make thousands of naira daily from truck drivers.

The reporter visited various stations in Amuwo Odofin, proceeding from there to the Fatgbems junction and Mile-2, before heading to the Tin Can and Apapa ports.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/maritime-bandits-lagos-government-looks-away-as-touting-extortion-thrive-at-apapa-ports-corridor-part-1/

Lagos state is only state we have in Nigeria.....The rest are Local Government.