NAGAFF pickets Clarion terminal over illegal detention of 14 vehicles, 19 missing containers

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) 100 percent Compliance Team on Monday picketed the office of Clarion Shipping Terminal Limited at Alakija, Lagos over illegal withholding of 14 vehicles belonging to its members and alleged sharp practices by the terminal.

The group also accused Clarion terminal of illegally releasing 19 containers in connivance with the importer without payment of demand notice amounting to N8.5million.

The protesting NAGAFF members who held placards with inscriptions such as: “Clarion Releases Containers without Terminal Delivery Orders (TDOs), Who Released the 19 Containers Without Duties Paid? First Degree Agency and Clarion are Partners in Crime, Clarion Releases Containers Without Customs Release,” disrupted business activities at the terminal preventing the staff and the terminal manager access to the premises.

Speaking with journalists, Secretary, Western Zone of NAGAFF Compliance Team, Bart Okeke, said the 14 vehicles have been withheld by the terminal since July 2021 despite full payment of import duty and other charges.

He said contrary to claims by Clarion terminal that Ajaji Continental Limited, the license company which the 14 vehicles were consigned to for clearance had unpaid assessment, the agency had nothing to do with the assessment as he noted that the agency’s license was hacked and fraudulently used to process the 19 missing containers.

He argued that had Ajaji Continental Limited been found to have unpaid assessment and refused to pay, the Customs would have blacklisted it but the agency is still operating and its license with Customs intact.

Okeke said several letters have been written to Clarion terminal and efforts to dialogue with its management to release the vehicles had been futile adding that appeal to Customs and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to prevail on the management of Clarion had also fallen on deaf ears.

“Can you believe that Clarion terminal is holding on to 14 vehicles of our members since July last year for no just cause. The reason according to them is because there were some unpaid assessments that were assigned to a particular agency that was consigned to those vehicles. But from our own investigation, that agency has nothing to do with the Demand Notice (DN). From investigation, the DN was given to a particular consignee called First Degree Multinational Limited that was supposed to have brought some containers from Tin Can to the bonded terminal. The 19 containers we suspect to be carrying arms and ammunition because from the attitude of everybody in that terminal, there was nothing to show that the containers entered the terminal. They did what we call flying of containers.

“We are requesting they show us the TDO of those 19 containers, who receive them on behalf of Ajaji Continental Limited that the bonded terminal is claiming to have unpaid assessment to its name but they have refused. Who received the consignment from Tin Can on transire? Yet no response from them. This is a massive fraud by Clarion terminal.

“If Ajaji Continental Limited is owing the Customs or has unpaid assessment to its name, why haven’t the Customs blacklisted the agency? The agency is still in operation. That means there is something this bonded terminal did with First Degree in respect of that unpaid assessment,” he said.

Also speaking, Managing Director of Ajaji Continental Agency, Godswill Ojogwu, alleged that Clarion terminal fraudulently used his license through First Degree Multinational Limited to steal the 19 containers from the Tin Can Island Port and demanded that he pay N8.5million on the missing containers.

He said, “I’m a retired Assistant Controller of Customs and on my retirement, I started to run a freight forwarding company called Ajaji Continental Limited. I’m also a member of NAGAFF. Clarion used my license fraudulently in 2018 and when I discovered it, I noticed that the terminal used my license to steal 19 containers from Tin Can Island Port. From investigation, I discovered that these containers were moved as bonded transfer goods. They were supposed to move from Tin Can to Clarion but documents showed that these containers did not follow due process because they were not released. When my license was blocked I approached Customs who directed me to Clarion who released the containers.”

“When I approached Clarion to show me who they release these containers to and who used my agency, they almost mobbed me last year when they seized about 14 vehicles duly released by Customs. I approached Clarion with documents showing proper clearance from Customs and the shipping company, urging them to release the vehicles while we continue the investigation on the 19 containers. Clarion bluntly refused and said I must pay over N8million Demand Notice on the missing containers that I don’t know anything about.

“They are linking the 14 vehicles seized to the fraud that was perpetrated by them in 2018 using my license to clear the 19 containers through a company known as First Degree Multinational Limited. MSC was the shipping company used for that transaction. There is no way goods would leave the port without due process but this was done in a shady manner and that is why they have been blocking every attempt I made. I wrote to the Area Controller of Tin Can Customs but my documents got lost on three occasions at Customs. I have gone to the police before I finally resolve that my association should help me out.”

Efforts to speak with the management of Clarion terminal were unsuccessful as the terminal manager and other management staff refused to speak to journalists.