By Uzor Odigbo
Officials of the Lagos State Wharf Landing Fees collecting agency have been extorting various sums of money from port operators, importers and clearing agents.
The state toll collecting agency is alleged to collect varying sums of money for cars cleared from the port without receipts for money collected.
The authority, according to victims of its operations, collects its statutory N200 for cars and N500 for SUVs from the agents and their principals.
Due to lack of evidence of payment issued to agents, seconds after the vehicle leaves, the officials call their task force operations team to point at the vehicle, following which a chase ensues.
According to victims, the task force vehicle outrun and double cross their target, and the driver forced at gun point is taken to its office at Marine Road, Liverpool Apapa Lagos.
The victims are handed a plain sheet of paper encapsulating penalties for supposed violation of wharf landing fee law.
While the authority charges a penalty of N100, 000.00 for individual offender, it charges corporate offender the some of N500, 000.00 payable to the authority’s Access Bank account.
Recounting his ordeal, one of the victims, Mr. Emma Omefine, said field officials of the authority don’t always give receipt after payment.
He said, “Most time l pass, they don’t give me receipt after l pay their money, so l didn’t really bother, l just go my way.
“Today is the first time they are seizing my vehicle. It is a Pick-Up Van. What happened was that l paid him the N500 and the guy waved me to go. l have gone far almost to the end of the road when they just came, overtook and double crossed me.
“They said l should bring my receipt, l told them l was not given receipt. They said l should reverse and we started arguing, but when their policemen were carrying their guns anyhow, l followed them here(their office)””he said.
According to him, upon taking custody of his vehicle in their premises, the officials issued him a penalty of N100, 000.00 prescribed in plain non -official letter headed paper, to be paid into the authority’s Access Bank account number 0700562033.
Another supposed offender who gave his name simply as Francis said he is an agent, and said two of his vehicles, a Jeep and a car ,were impounded by the authority.
He said he paid N800 and left, only to be stopped about an electric pole away by policemen attached to the authority, who asked him for dash.
He said when he refused, they asked him to produce the receipt of the payment of his fee.
According to him, effort to get them confirm with the official he paid to, just a pole away proved abortive as they forcefully commandeered him to their yard less than two electric poles away.
His words: “I made N800 payment to them, N500 for the Jeep and N300 for the car and l left. But immediately we left the place, about a pole interval, their policeman stopped me and asked me to give him something. l told him l have paid his people and do not have anything left on me, that l slept at the port.
“Immediately l said that, one of the policemen entered my vehicle and demanded for receipt. l told him l was not given receipt, and he said l should move the car to their office. l told him we should walk back for him to ask the man who collected money from me, he refused and started dragging with me, so l went with them”, he declared.
“I have been here since yesterday and they are asking me to pay N200, 000.00. At first, they said l should call the owner of the vehicles that he wants to see him. l said what for, so they gave me this paper with the account number of their bank.”
Findings by our reporter indicated that owners are also asked to pay a non- receipted demurrage of N10, 000.00 per vehicle for every night the vehicle spends in their office.
The Authority’s Public Relations Officer, who identified himself as Mike Opute asked why their officials were engaged in the alleged dirty pranks, denied that anybody was being exploited, saying the penalty is for violation against the Lagos State Government Law.
He said, “lf they paid,they will be given receipt, but some of them just stretch N200 or N300 to our men and run away.”
Asked about the ridiculous penalty of demanding N100, 000.00 in lieu of N300 or N500, he said it is act of the state. “We did not make the law; it was made by the Lagos State Assembly.”
Asked if there are considerations for those whose vehicles were impounded despite claims of paying without been issued receipts, Opute said only the State Commissioner for Finance or the Chairman of the Authority can grant such consideration.
His words, “it is only the minister of finance or our chair that can say okay o, payN30, 000.00 or pay N2000, no other person has the power.”
Despite the Authority’s image maker position, sources alleged that two third of those arrested settle at the office for about N50, 000.00 per vehicles and have their vehicles released, saying it is the biggest port exploitation by the state government