ANLCA Lagos Airport Secretariat Reopened, As Bola Ashiru Resumed Chairman Amidst Fanfare

By DAPO OLAWUNI

After two months of closure and inactivity, the Nigerian Police, Lagos Airport Command has on Monday 28th of April 2025, reopened the secretariat of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) even as Bola Ashiru Balogun has resumed as Chairman of the chapter amidst fanfares and heavy security presence.

Recall that a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, under Justice P.O Lifu, had in a case with suit number; FHC/L/CS/758/2022 delivered a judgment on 5th of May 2023, declaring Prince Bola Ashiru as lawful chairman of the chapter.

The suit was between Bola Ashiru Balogun and his company; Sotofopy Nigeria Limited as the plaintiff, and the Board of Trustees of ANLCA, Mr Aloy Anokuru for himself and other members of ASECO as 1st and 2nd defendants, while Bamgbala Adewusi, the immediate past Chairman of the chapter, and his company; Batolab Investment Nigeria Limited was the 3rd and 4th defendants.

However, implementation of the court judgement lingered due to internal crisis within the association. Several events that ensued within the association later saw the newly inaugurated National Executive Committee (NECOM) of ANLCA declaring Mr Tope Akindele as the rightful Chairman of the chapter and he was subsequently inaugurated alongside his executives by the National President of ANLCA, Emenike Nwokeoji.

Also recall, that a ruling by Justice Ogundare of the Badagry High Court in 2020 had declared Tope Akindele as the rightful occupier of the office having also declared him winner of the chapter election conducted in 2019.

However, several years later, neither Tope Akindele nor Bola Ashiru could resume office as the association was embroiled in a leadership crisis between three gladiators; Bamgbala Adewusi the immediate past Chairman, Tope Akindele and Bola Ashiru, a development which forced authorities to shutdown the ANLCA Secretariat on 5h of February 2025 to avoid a breakdown of law and order.

But speaking with DAILY TREND on Monday, Prince Bola Ashiru confirmed that his court judgment has finally been upheld, even as he resumed as Chairman of the chapter amidst members fanfair.

“As you can see clearly, the secretariat is open, and you can see that everyone is in a joyous mood, you can see, the secretariat is opened, and it’s open with the instrument of the law.

“And that is to the extent that you are aware that there’s a court judgment that was given by Honorable Justice Lifu of the Federal High Court, the then Chief Justice of the Federal High Court.
Now, that same judgment was appealed.
Which is the due process of the law anyway. It was appealed by the Board of Trustees of this association in conjunction with erstwhile Chairman, Adewusi.

“So, the appeal was withdrawn by the appellant, what does that say to you?
When an appellant withdraws his own case, what that means is that the case is dead. They had their own prayers before the court which was that they wanted to withdraw. It was granted.

“Our own prayer was for the dismissal of the appeal. So that’s what was granted also and that matter was laid to rest.

“So, if that matter is laid to rest, what one expects the leadership of ANLCA, who I can see some bias on their part now, because they came from the same bloc.
I have seen that.
And for me, I will stay within the confines of the law.

“Now, they refused to implement the judgment in my own favor, rather, they are saying that it should be given to Tope Akindele, they want to use my own judgment for Tope to assume office.

“Tope did not participate in any election with me, the only man that vied with me was Adewusi. He won me in the elections, and I went to court to get my mandate.
But because of some infractions of the eligibility clause.

“We are aware that the secretariat was shut down some time ago, why was it shut down? Because of the rift between Adewusi and the National.
“I never went to the police in the first place.
I was waiting for my judgment, and when the ruling came out, I wrote to the police to give me protection to come and resume office, and in their own wisdom, they felt like, no, even if you have to do this, there are other contending issues, so they would rather seek legal advice as to who should the secretariat be open to and whether my request should be granted or not.

“And of course, in their report, from where they sought for it, it states clearly that I should be the one, that I am the legally qualified person to be there. So, that is what I have done” Prince Ashiru told our correspondent.

Moving forward, Prince Ashiru urged the ANLCA NECOM to accept the law of the land in good faith and not try to fight it by trying to impose Akindele as Chairman

“If the national are going to be unbiased, I think they should just allow things the way they are. Each time they come around, they bring chaos.

“We have been enjoying ourselves since.
People are happy to have me, and I am someone that will always follow the rule of law. If I can pursue a case for three and a half years”

Asked if he has reached out to the National President of ANLCA, Emenike Nwokeoji on his resumption as Chairman, Prince Ashiru responded that “When I got the ruling of the appeal court, I gave my president a hard copy.

“Apart from the fact that from the court premises, I forwarded soft copies to all of them (NECOM), but I don’t know why they don’t like my face.
If they are still pushing this caucus of a thing, they are the ones that will kill ANLCA.
So, they should stop forming caucuses in ANLCA

“They want to impose Tope. If he claims he has a judgment or whatever, he should go back to court, I am not the type that they can arm-twist” he concluded.