The Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association has accused operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service and the marine police of extorting seafarers while boarding vessels at the Lagos anchorage.
Speaking in a chat with SHIPS & PORTS DAILY, President of the association, Engr. Mathew Alalade, lamented that seafarers are being molested and embarrassed by security agencies while on duty, calling on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to come to their aid.
According to him, the practice is common in Lagos waterways, with the police having no fewer than 15 checkpoints. He said failure to yield to the demand of the security agencies often led to delay, making some seafarers miss out while on their way to board their ships.
He said, “The customs and marine police officials often extort money from seafarers. What they do now is if you buy food going on board, they will ask for receipts of the food because they want to collect money from you.
“If you are going for a repair of an item that has been bought for long, they ask of receipt and if you can’t produce it, they start demanding for money. At times, they delay the seafarers and they miss their ship.
“There was a time we had curfew about four years ago when Atlas Cove was robbed near the naval dockyard, so they imposed curfew. Despite the fact that the curfew had been lifted for a long time, they still extort money from seafarers.
“Along this axis, the Marine Police alone have about 15 checkpoints at a place that is not up to half a mile. The Customs, immigration stop our members and they extort legitimate people going for their duties. We have told NIMASA and they said they are going to call them for a meeting to address the problem.”
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.
