The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos State Government, truck owners and other key maritime stakeholders have agreed to establish a joint task force to tackle extortion, dismantle illegal checkpoints and address overlapping agency mandates along the Apapa and Tin Can Island port corridors.
The decision was reached at a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the NPA in Lagos on Tuesday to address persistent operational challenges disrupting cargo movement, truck operations and the ease of doing business around the nation’s busiest seaports.
Speaking after the meeting, NPA Managing Director, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, said discussions focused on finding lasting solutions to extortion, jurisdictional conflicts among security agencies and operational inefficiencies that continue to delay cargo evacuation and worsen congestion.
According to him, stakeholders identified widespread extortion on roads outside the ports, particularly along the Tin Can Island corridor towards Berger and Isolo, as well as routes linking the ports to Ijora Road, Ikorodu and Surulere.
Dantsoho said overlapping responsibilities between the Maritime Police Command and the Lagos State Police Command were also highlighted as a major concern.
However, he noted that both the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Maritime Command and the Lagos State Police Command denied authorising roadblocks or checkpoints on port access roads.
He said stakeholders also agreed to strengthen collaboration among agencies operating within the port environment to create a more efficient logistics corridor and eliminate delays affecting importers and exporters.
Expressing optimism about the outcome of the meeting, Dantsoho said the clarifications and resolutions reached would improve traffic flow and operational efficiency, while enhancing Nigeria’s competitiveness as a leading maritime gateway in Africa.
Assistant Inspector-General of Police for the Maritime Command, Okunade Ronke Nurat, said participants unanimously agreed to establish a joint task force comprising the Lagos State Government, the NPA and other stakeholders to ensure seamless operations around the ports.