Customs agents protest Marine Police disruption of legitimate trade
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A group of concerned licensed customs agents and maritime stakeholders under the aegis of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over alleged interference of the Marine Police in port operations.
Specifically, they accused the Police unit of blocking and extorting importers of duly cleared cargoes from Lagos ports.
In the petition dated May 6, 2026 and signed by John Ofobike, a former Chairman of the Apapa Chapter of ANLCA, the group called for the urgent intervention of the association’s leadership over the malpractice.
Ofobike also alleged that, for several months, the activities of officers of the Maritime Police have gone beyond lawful enforcement to deliberate harassment, obstruction, and extortion of consignments already duly processed and cleared by the Nigeria Customs Service.
The petition partly reads: “I write this open letter with a heavy heart and as a last resort, to seek your urgent intervention against the persistent, unlawful, and extortionate interference of the Maritime Police Command in the legitimate customs clearing process at our seaports.
For several months, the conduct of officers of the Maritime Police has moved beyond lawful enforcement into deliberate harassment, obstruction, and extortion of consignments that have already been duly processed and cleared by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
“Goods backed by valid Single Goods Declaration (SGD), duty payment receipts, and Customs Release Orders are being forcefully stopped at the point of Terminal Delivery Order (TDO) processing, at shipping companies, or at bonded terminals. Our members and importers are subjected to hours and sometimes days of unwarranted detention of already cleared goods, repeated demands for “documentation verification,” and outright monetary demands before containers are released from these illegal blockages.
“This is happening in clear violation of the Federal Government’s 48-hour cargo clearance directive and the statutory role of the Nigeria Customs Service as the lead agency at the ports.”
