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The Seme Chapter Chairman of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Onyekachi Ojinma said he will continue to call the attention of the police authorities over the multiple security checkpoints on Seme/Mile 2 Expressway until something is done..
Ojinma said the activities of police operatives manning the checkpoints were a threat to free movement of goods and persons.
“Rather than reduce, the alleged illegal checkpoints are said to have increased,” he said.
This is happening at a time when the Federal Government has reopened all the land borders without conditions. The head of the Seme ANLCA leadership wondered why the operatives of the Border Drill, whom he accused of extortionist tendencies, are still at the Border road. He insisted that they had outlived their relevance with the reopening of the land borders and should be withdrawn.
“All land borders have been reopened by the Federal Government. The policemen and soldiers that make up the Border Drill have no business being at the border roads again. What are they still doing there ?They have overstayed their relevance and should be withdrawn for good. They shouldn’t be allowed to continue extorting our members and other road users” said Ojinma.
He further observed that the border closure policy lacked any justification. According to him, it ended up bringing untold hardship to freight forwarders and importers, many of whom he noted, died of heart break.
He also faulted Federal Government’s ban on importation of vehicles through the land borders, saying “It is a dangerous policy that only encourages smuggling and enriches pockets of the security operatives on the road. Many importers of new brand vehicles do not patronize the ports; they smuggle their consignments through the land borders with active connivance and under the cover of the security agents on the road. Government will be doing itself and Nigerians a lot of good if it lifts the ban”.
