The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne chapter, has described as baseless and unfounded allegations of widespread fraud and malpractices by the officers and men of the Nigerian Customs Services (NCS), Onne Command in Rivers State.
The chairman of the association, Chief Kingsley Offor, who debunked an allegation while speaking with journalists in his office at Onne, Thursday, said that the command especially at the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT) gate deliberately delay documentation procedures from the agents in order to extort huge sums of money from them.
Offor said, “the allegations are baseless and unfounded emanating from a coward. He that goes to equity must do so with a clean hands.
Agents must do the right thing, pay the correct duty and customs are bound to comply to smooth cargo or container clearance at the port,” he opined.
According to him, ANLCA, Onne port under is watchful eyes of the chairman of the body had vowed to protect and improve the interest and welfare of its members who are genuinely doing the right thing in cargo documentation and clearance at the Onne Port.
He noted that, “Any Agent who circumvents or falsifies smooth cargo documentation and clearance will not be covered by the association and called on those faceless persons peddling such rumours to desist or face the wrath of the association.
“This is a new dawn and a new policy is in place, so all customs licensed agents should ensure compliance with a view to creating adequate synergy with customs”, the ANLCA boss asserteds.
The chairman denied that there is a special squad set up to extort extra money from agents at the FOT gate, pointing out that such allegation should be  the figment of the imagination of those so called agents.”
Chief Offor enjoined genuine members of the association to declare the right items and pay the right duty to the customs as required and they are ready to enforce compliance and smooth cargo or container documentation and clearance adequately. adding that whatever follows thereafter is at the discretion of the agents.
all times.