APM Terminals, operator of the Nigeria’s busiest container port in Lagos has been alleged to have defrauded freight forwarders and importers of a whooping N60 billion through delays in positioning containers for examination and arbitrary charges for demurrage.
The five point allegations which were  contained in a letter to the Controller General of Customs, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko also include what the freight forwarders describe as “Arrogant refusal to discontinue their unacceptable schemes and exploitative charges’’
The freight forwarders (NAGAFF), National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents(NCMDLCA) and Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria(AREFFN) also sought the intervention of anti graft agencies to arrest the situation, which they viewed as exploitative against their members.
In separate letters to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and related offenses Commission (ICPC), they called for urgent attention of the agencies to arrest a situation, they describe as being “very germane and apparently criminal before it gets out of hands.
APMT management was alleged to have contrived a scheme whereby containers due for examination are delayed for upward of two weeks without positioning and still charge agents and importers for the delays
They also alleged that the terminal operator have devised means of trapping containers for periods longer than necessary in the ports. “They crafted a curious policy wherein booking of containers for physical examination and scanning closes by 10am in their office and then an average of at least 5 days  is wasted after booking for examination, documentation for 3 days and loading a further 2 days thereby trapping consignments for periods longer than necessary in the ports.”
The company was also alleged of deliberately delaying import deliveries in order to accumulate what they described as dubious storage charges for themselves with arbitrary increase of debit notes.
The group of freight forwarders associations averred that it contracted independent auditors to ascertain the level of losses cumulatively incurred by their members to APMT and discovered that N60Billion has been lost for alleged delays and not rendered.
“ In order to properly ascertain the scale of APMT’s management fraudulent scheme foisted on our members, we had to engage the services of independent auditors who have come up with a shocking statistics indicating that our members and indeed the entire Nigerian import community(who we work for) have lost to APMT a whooping sum of  N800Million for every 40,000 units of containers delivered through their terminal for the said stagnation or services not rendered but money received by them as a result of dubious scheme founded on dishonesty.
In all since APMT put this scheme in place, our members reckon that they have lost a cumulative sum of over N60Billion.”
The freight forwarders are demanding a full refund of the N60B which according was dishonestly obtained from their members and importers whom they said APMT have subjected to economic slaves in their fatherland.
The freight forwarders also demanded same day booking and same day positioning of containers as it is the practice with other responsible and responsive terminals and a reversal of all charges and debit notes said to have been increased by APMT for the company’s enrichment to the detriment of the Nigerian economy.
They also alleged that several letters sent to APMT on the issue through their Legal Adviser were ignored and that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, whose responsibility it is to protect shippers’ interest had through a letter indicated interest in the matter.
The letter also expressed that Nigeria Customs Service, Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited and other stakeholders had at a recent meeting jointly agree that APMT is responsible for delays being experienced in the container port.
In a terse response, Bolaji Akinola, Media Adviser to APMT in an electronic mail to journalists said “This is pure propaganda; fabricated lies, falsehood, blackmail and unsubstantiated claims. It is their stock in trade and we know them already. We will respond comprehensively and appropriately’’.