Trapped vehicles: No directive yet from FG — Customs

Indications are rife that respite might not come the way of owners of thousands of vehicles that began declarations very late on the 30th of December, 2016 and have remained trapped at the borders due to the Federal Government ban on importation of vehicles through the land border. This is even as the Seme Customs Command and agents revealed that until any further directive comes from the FG, no vehicle will be cleared at the Seme border.

Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune exclusively, the Chairman of the Seme Chapter of the Association of the Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Lasisi Fanu stated that expectations are high that government will allow vehicles that came in late on Friday in despite the commencement of the ban on the 1st of January, which falls on a Sunday.

According to him, “You know that 1st of January was a Sunday, so there was no work all through the weekends but some vehicles came in late on Friday and hurriedly began declarations. So we hope that government will allow those sets of vehicles in because they are still trapped at the borders.”

When contacted, the Spokesman of the Seme Command of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Taupyen Selchang, stated that except for vehicles that came in late on Friday night, and which no communication has been received from the Customs headquarters over, no vehicle will be allowed to come in as all Customs vehicles seats have been disbanded and officers sent on patrol teams.

“Those vehicles came in very late on Friday, that is the 30TH of December, 2016. The following two days was a weekend. Even the Monday that followed it was a public holiday. So work did not start until 3rd of January.

“We have disbanded our vehicles seats and only a directive from higher quarters can decided the fate of those vehicles”