Steve Agbota, [email protected] 08033302331
Since 2006, when the Federal Government embarked on concession programme as part of efforts to restore sanity to port operations, it became the responsibility of some private terminals operators to ensure security at the ports.
Before their takeover of these terminals, Nigerian ports, especially the Lagos ports, were not different from that popular market in Mile 12 and Oyingbo, with indiscriminate access of people into all the ports terminals..
As at that time, , the poor security structure at the nation’s seaports was a major concern to stakeholders as the menace of ‘Wharf rats’ were so rampant. ‘Wharf rats’ are known to be notorious monikers who gain access into the ports to pilfer and vandalise cargo, especially vehicles and steal valuable items from containers.
Prior to the 2006 port concession process, Wharf rats menace posed a nightmare to port users and importers because there was hardly any day without an incident of pilfering and vandalism being recorded. They had a field day due to the loose access control mechanism put in place by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), then in charge of the activities and operations of the terminals.
Port users, especially importers’ goods were subjected to willful vandalisation and pilfering, as no vehicles imported from abroad came out of the ports the way it was imported.
At the peak of all the so called ‘Wharf rats’ even started stealing items from those vehicles while being brought out of the ships, such that one can hardly see radio tapes, CD players, side mirrors, and brain box in those vehicles before the concession took place.
The situation was so bad that in 2001, a Lagos based firm petitioned the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and the Ports Police Command over ‘Wharf rats’ attacks threatening court action if the authorities failed to unmask the perpetrators of the massive vandalism of imported vehicles and theft of properties belonging to the firm.
“In separate petitions dated July 10, 2001, the firm alleged that its four imported vehicles were vandalised and all the properties inside the vehicles were stolen during clearing process.”
Daily Sun also learnt that a Nigerian based in Germany lost N34 million life savings to ‘Lagos wharf rats’ few years ago.
Apparently, the 2006 concession programme, which transferred power and control of terminal operations to private business owners, restored sanity to the ports. The concessionaires brought up robust security measures to checkmate indiscriminate access into their terminals through strict access control mechanisms. This made port users and importers to have rest of mind, as their goods remained intact while clearing them out of the ports.
Regrettably, 13 years after, the concession seems to be facing a major set back as the notorious ‘Wharf rats’ are gradually returning to the ports to perfect their nefarious acts.
It was revealed that these port urchins recently invaded three terminals in a row leaving the owners with huge losses and agony. The recent one was the multiple incident of container poaching and pilfering where containerised vehicles were pilfered at one of the terminals at the Tin Can port.
This happened as a container laden truck with banned Tramadol was pilfered and the contents almost emptied before it was intercepted by Customs officers.
Stakeholders who spoke with Daily Sun said it was becoming apparent that terminal operators can no longer handle the issue alone but the security personnel of the NPA as well as the port police should be on ground to complement the security measures of the terminal operators.
Speaking on how to secure containers at the ports, Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Customs License Agents (ANCLA), Tin Can, Chapter, Segun Oduntan, said terminal operators security mechanism is now in doubt.
According to him, they are standards they are expected to maintain, but they have fallen out of it. There is a standard requirement before you are authorised to manage a terminal because you are the one in charge of people’s goods.
He added: “Pilfering has happened to me before and since then what I do is to bring a camera to record all the transactions and make sure that once you start the clearing process, you are the one that will finish it. If somebody starts a job now, for instance, if somebody did an examination and he’s not the one taking delivery, by the time the container is tampered with, how will you know?
“Because after examination, if you use padlock belonging to a particular company to lock my container, I will have the key and by the time I’m taking delivery, I’m suppose to be the one to pass out the container from the gate, I will look at the padlock and if it is not the one I have the key; then I will raise the alarm before the container leaves the terminal. In that way, the terminal owner can be liable. But once a container has passed out and you now discover anything, they will tell you that it is not from the terminal.”
He said: “This is the precaution I have to take when it happened to me before and the advice I always give to people is that when they do their examination, they should ensure that their boys are the one that start the job and the ones that finish it and make sure you check before your cargo exits the port.”
Meanwhile, the National President of the National Council of Managing Director Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, said the terminal operators are supposed to be securing cargoes and not the NPA having taken over the security of the cargo. He said the cargo is not under NPA anymore.
“All the cargoes are under terminal operators. The terminal operators are suppose to be in charge of the containers and make sure those containers are properly placed and secured. That is their responsibility not NPA responsibility. NPA responsibility is to secure the traffic coming in and going out of the ports. But when you talk about cargo, it is the terminal operators to duty and if there is any fault in any form; the terminal operators are the one to be held responsible because that cargo is still in their custody. They are holding that cargo in trust for the importers who come in to clear them.”
He explained that NPA is no more responsibility when it comes to security of cargo, handling of cargo; it is clearly the terminal operators.
According to him, if the cargo is being moved from the terminal to off dock terminal, it is the responsibility of that off dock terminal operator to secure it.
Said he: “When it comes to cargo responsibility, stealing and the rest; It is all about terminal operators and not the NPA’s responsibility to take care of cargoes within their ports. NPA has removed its hands from cargo operations.”