The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has alleged that some ships and  crew members bring in illegal consignments from the ports of origin into the country.
NDLEA also hinted that the shipments were usually perfected at the Nigerian end of the transaction by collaborators on arrival at the nation’s ports.
This was made known by the Assistant Area Commander, NDLEA, Mercy Thompson, during a Joint Vessel Boarding Meeting held in Lagos at the weekend.
She noted that the recent drug seizure made at Tin-can Island Port by the Agency was also brought in the same way.
She, therefore, implored ship crew members to cooperate with representatives of government agencies boarding vessels.
Johnson noted that hard drugs were responsible for the increasing crime rate in the country, saying most persons involved in crime usually spike their system with hard drugs.
Also speaking, Assistant Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), Doris Braimah, said that the NIS has a system where officers of the service send daily reports of their activities to the Zonal Head Office.
Braimah said that the Service has its procedures and requirements that are supposed to be met by visiting ships, adding that some crew members come into the country without visas.
She called on the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to inform shipping lines of these procedures and requirements ahead of their shipment to the nation’s ports.
Earlier, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, confirmed the uncooperative attitude of some ship captains with government agencies.
He said henceforth, captains are expected to submit their entry notice to NPA in advance while the NPA, in turn, should make the document available to other government agencies involved in the boarding of vessels.

By: Chinedu Wosu