By Steve Agbota

As electronic call up system continues to falter, armed robbers have taking the advantage of the situation to inflict pain on port users, commuters and other motorists on the Apapa-Oshodi expressway.

Despite the implementation of the electronic call up system by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Lagos State government to address the gridlock has not yeild any positive impact as trailers and tankers have taken over the port access roads. This has given room for security agents and taskforce to extort truckers and tanker drivers, as robbery has become the order of the day along the port corridor, even as truck drivers losing their motor batteries and other valuable items every day.

When Daily Sun visited the road yesterday, taskforce were seen collecting N2000 per tanker driver to access their depot while truckers are paying security agents between N5000, N10,000 and above to have access to the port.

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Some truck drivers who spoke with Daily Sun said they spend between N180,000 from Mile 2 to Coconut Bus Stop. They alleged that LASTMA, police and other security agents are among the forces that are frustrating e-call up system. A truck driver who identified himself as Jude Abel, said that these security agents are now coming with PoS machine in the night to extort drivers.

“When I ran out of cash few days ago and it was my turn for them to pass me and I was left with N1,000. I told them I did not have enough cash. One of them said bring your ATM card, we have PoS. They deducted N10,000 from my account and they refused to give me confirmation slip. At a stage, I thought they were joking. When they brought out PoS from their bag, I was so surprised,” he lamented.

Meanwhile, the National Coordinator, Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers and Exporters Coalition (SNIFFIEC), Osita Chukwu , said a lot of robbery are going on around that port access road. “I have been a victim twice there. My glass was broken and they robbed us.