Now that Scanners are Working, Stop Impounding, Auctioning Our Trucks, AMATO warn Customs

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By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has urged the Nigeria Customs Service to make good use of it’s deployed scanners and stop Impounding and auctioning trucks which is a means of livelihood of it’s members.

DAILY TREND reports that, before now, whenever customs officers arrest cargoes in transit for various infractions, the truck as a means of conveyance is usually confiscated in line with customs laws. To this end, truck owners have suffered untoward hardships in the hands of various customs units including the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) and the Customs Strike Force.

However, with the recent announcement from customs that it’s newly procured scanning machines is now being put to use, truckers leaped for joy as this would assist customs detect unwholesome cargoes from the port, even before they are loaded onto the trucks.

Chief Remi Ogungbemi, Chairman of AMATO
Chief Remi Ogungbemi, Chairman of AMATO

In his reaction to this development, Chairman of AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi expressed optimisms saying “It is a cheering news if truly the Scanners has started working in the Ports, now that Scanners has started working as said, I want to believe that CUSTOMS, NAFDAC, SON etc will no longer have reason to be arresting, impounding and possible auctioning our trucks being the means of our livelihood on the offense that we know nothing about.

“Before now, we would have embark on total withdrawal of our services in protest against the injustices, but resolved to listen and respect the advice from the well meaning cooperate bodies and Stakeholders who promised to intervene in our behalf”

“Therefore, while awaiting the outcome of the interventions which I strongly believe that it ‘ill yield positively, I enjoying handlers of the Scanners to operate it with human face and God fearing, to avoid being treated as saboteurs” he warned.

DAILY TREND had reported exclusively on Tuesday that the two scanning machines deployed to the Tin Can Island Port is now working. This was confirmed to our correspondent by the Public Relations Officer of the command, Nkiruka Nwala.

According to customs, the new scanners has the capacity to scan 35 containers in one hour.

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