Maritime Police Command Intercepts Container of ‘Ponmo’, Bulletproof Doors Allegedly Imported by NAGAFF Members

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Maritime Police Command, Force Headquarters Annex, Lagos has announced the interception of a container conveying Toxic Raw Skin popularly known as “Ponmo” and another container laden with bullet proof doors without the required government papers and approval, both belonging to members of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF)

This is coming two weeks after the Command had intercepted a container that was laden with goods not declared in a bill of lading and was cleared at the Port.

Also recently, the NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team, headed by Ibrahim Tanko has been on the vanguard of stopping the Maritime Police from stopping and detaining already cleared cargoes from the port.

Tanko had lately claimed that 1,800 containers are trapped at the Port by the Maritime Police.

However, in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the Maritime Police Command, ASP Ehinmode Rowland on Sunday, he insinuated that NAGAFF was trying to cover-up some criminal enterprise going on at the port

He said “The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Maritime Police Command, Force Headquarters Annex, Lagos, AIG Susan U. Akem-Horsfall, B.Sc, MPA, LLB, LLM, BL, is abashed at an unfounded and mischievous report in some online media credited to one Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim, National Coordinator, NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team claiming that 1,800 containers are trapped at the Port by the Maritime Police.

“The same individual also delved into an area where he is not conversant with i.e Police Operations and Administration.

“This story is not only deceptive, misleading and nebulous but an attempt to malign and water down the spirit and efforts of the Command at fighting the organized crime going on among some agencies at the Port.

“It would be recalled that barely two weeks after the Command intercepted a container that was laden with goods not declared in a bill of lading and was cleared at the Port, it intercepted another container conveying Toxic Raw Skin popularly known as “Ponmo” that is not only poisonous but harmful and not suitable for human consumption, belonging to a member of NAGAFF, which has since been handed over to NAFDAC Enforcement Unit for re-examination.

“In a similar vein another container laden with bullet proof doors without the required government papers and approval belonging to another NAGAFF member was also recently intercepted by the Command.

“These efforts of the Command at fighting crimes been perpetrated by these criminal cartels surely does not go down well with these individuals who are fraudulently feeding fat on the common wealth of the Nation, hence, they are doing everything within their reach to cover their evil deeds and criminal tendencies.

“For the sake of information and clarification, The Ports Authority Police, in Lagos and Port Harcourt, as well as the National Inland Waterways Police, headquartered In Lokoja are under the DIRECT SUPERVISION of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Maritime Command.

“The AIG hereby advised the public to disregard the report of Alhaji Tanko and his cohorts in its entirety and consider it as an attempt to mislead, misinform and efforts to gain the public sympathy and empathy” the statement read