***Beninoire importers drag Nigerian agents to court over demurrage
The indefinite closure of Nigeria’s border by the Federal Government has increased different illegal businesses around the border communities, as the country lost about N460 billion to petrol smuggling in the last one year.
The Muhammadu Buhari administration had introduced a joint military operation code-named “Ex-Swift Response” on August 20, 2019 across the nation’s borders to curb the rising smuggling of rice, firearms and other prohibited goods into the country from Benin Republic and other neighbouring countries.
Since the closure of the border, both private and commercial vehicles have resorted to smuggling of fuel across the border communities to make a living. The smugglers siphon fuel in 25 to 50 litres jerry cans while the number of police checkpoints have also increased.
Similarly smuggling of fuel through the waters is said to be a biggest business for smugglers in the last one year of the border closure. They smuggle fuel in both big drums and big jerrycans to sell to the neighboring countries.
In the last eight months, experts have said that the negative effects of the border closure is more than the gains the Federal Government proclaimed it recorded.
Presently, over 1000 clearing agents are out of jobs, even as Beniniore importers have dragged majority of the Customs agents to Benin court over rising demurrage as they could not clear their goods trapped at the border.
Daily Sun learnt that a particular clearing agent paid Beninoire importer between N4 million to N8 million as dumerrage charges with lot of pleads, while so many cases are still in Benin court. An importer who spoke on the condition of anonymity said: “To the best of my knowledge, over N460 billion to N500 billion fuel must have been smuggled by roads, bush and waters in the last one year. Even some of the officers who are to man the border have been compromised. They are the ones helping smugglers to achieve their goals once money changed hands.”
According to him, the border closure has made some officers rich and most able young men have joined the gang since they couldn’t do their legitimate business at the border again.
Speaking with Daily Sun, Chairman of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA), Seme border chapter, Bisiriyu Fanu, said that the present government has failed because they didn’t achieve anything from the border closure, adding that most of the Customs licensed agents are dying everyday.
He added: “The fuel is the petty business the local people are doing now because the money of fuel here in Nigeria is being lower than what they sell at the Republic of Benin. There are over police 30 checkpoints between Badagry roundabout and Seme border from pole to pole. From roundabout to Gbaagi, you will see 60 police officers.
“Every vehicles plying the border route whether they carry passengers or not, they must settle the police officers because they carry petty-petty petrol.”
