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Foreign Exchange Traders Resume Business After Protest

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Normalcy has returned to the foreign exchange market along the Hotel Presidential, Aba/Port Harcourt expressway, Port Harcourt, following the protest staged on Tuesday by the foreign exchange traders over the death of their colleague, Yusuf Lada.
Lada was allegedly killed by the personnel of the Rivers State Task force on Illegal Street Trading, Motor Parks and Mechanics.
Speaking to The Tide yesterday, the spokesman of the traders, Jubril Isa, said the road was blocked on Tuesday to protest against the alleged killing of their member by the personnel of the state task force.
He accused members of the task force of regularly extorting money from them.
He said, “we protested because of our Muslim brother, we can no longer allow members of the task force to be extorting money from us. Sometimes, they will come and arrest about 12 of our members and ask them to pay N120,000 each for their release.
“In about two weeks they will come again and arrest sometimes about 22 persons and ask them to pay N8,000 each to be released. Some of them may not have the money. The late man was whisked away and was brought back after 30 minutes and in about 15 minutes, he fainted and died.”
Reacting to the allegation, the chairman of the task force, Hon. Bright Amaewhule, explained that “the traders use the bus stop stand at Presidential Hotel as a restaurant, a kind of “mama put” to transact illegal trading business. The zonal team leader of that area went there and arrested some people, and took them to court. The policemen found out that the man was not in a stable condition, so they allowed him to go and cautioned him not to go back to the place again.
“Upon that police advice, they put him back in to vehicle and returned him where he was arrested; the man came down from the car and moved his way. Just about 15 minutes after disengagement with him, he slumped down and that led to his death. So there was no fracas, no fighting, no hijacking or dragging between my task force and the people.”
Meanwhile, the chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum, Rivers State Chapter, Musa Saidu, has demanded that the task force agent that allegedly masterminded the death of their colleague be brought to book, because the task force’s mandate, according to him, was to decongest the road in the state and not to take life.
He urged the law enforcement agent to act fast to ensure that the perpetrators of the act were prosecuted.
Saidu enjoined their members to remain calm and go about their lawful business and ensure that they operated within the ambit of the law of the land, while the police carry out their investigation into the matter.
Also, the spokesman of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Salami Ibrahim, has also condemned the alleged killing of the forex trader, urging the police to investigate and arrest the masterminds of the man’s death.
A cross section of foreign exchange traders who spoke to our correspondent alleged that the task force men always made demands from them.
A trader, Abu Danladi, said, “we want to sit down with the Rivers State Government and talk; sometimes, the task force used to arrest 10, 15, 20 of our people at a stretch, and each will pay N120,000 for their release. Sometimes, they carried them to main office, sometimes on the main road.
“They search you and whatever they see in your pocket, they collect; both dollar or naira, they will seize it before you are released. Government should check the excesses of the task force before they create problem that may lead to so many things unforeseen.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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