Fraud alert at customs cars E-auction: Freight Forwarders reveal how an individual got 300 vehicles at N10,000 each

….Petitions Controller General

By Ezirike Ugochukwu

Nigerians seemed to have been fooled again as despite the much tauted deployment of technology, that the recent electronic auction of vehicles by the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS has been characterised by alleged massive fraud with one person getting over 300 vehicles.

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders(NAGAFF) 100% Compliance Team made this allegation in a letter addressed to the Comptroller-General of NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, recently.

In the letter titled: “The Monumental Stealing By The Customs Auction Committee And Their Plans To Dispose-Off Overtime Containers” was signed by the National Coordinator of the Compliance Team, Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim.

According to the Compliance Team, plans have been concluded to extend the same fraudulent treatment in the auction of overtime containers.

Part of the letter read: “As we write, more than 300 vehicles have been auctioned to just one person after some huge underhand payments. A token ridiculous sum of N10,000 each is collected as duties to the federal government!”

“As if that is not enough, plans have been concluded to extend the same odious treatment in the auction of overtime containers. No gain saying that those containers were only ‘abandoned’ there due to the huge shipping and terminal demurrages accrued overtime. Most have paid their duties.”

The group, however, maintained that auctioning the overtime cargoes goes against extant laws that demands that they be evacuated to the government warehouse, Ikorodu.

“We think it is better to invite the consignees to take delivery devoid of the outstanding demurrages. The economic situation dictates so.

“We, therefore, implore your good offices to institute a thorough investigation into these unholy practices carefully organized and perpetrated by this auction committee operating presently at the Tin Can Island Port complex and PTML”, the letter stated.

Photo: Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, National Coordinator, NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team.