‘Presidential Standing Team Not Involved In Extortion On Port Access Road’

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), over the weekend, has disclosed that the Presidential Standing Task Team (PSTT), is not involved in extortion on the port access road.

The PSTT, which was inaugurated by the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, comprises of all security apparatus of the nation, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).

Speaking to journalists, the coordinator of the PSTT, Moses Fadipe, explained that the allegation of extortion against the PSTT was baseless and libelous because the team ensured high level monitoring and supervision on all team members.

Fadipe, a deputy director in the council, however, challenged the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Association (COMTUA) to provide the team or the Police for further investigation.

“The allegation of fraud against the PSTT is baseless, and libelous. Accusing the task team is like accusing all the security apparatus of the nation.

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“I don’t believe any of my men are accomplices to the allegations COMTUA has made. There are monitors within monitors, and the officials are changed regularly. The officials are equally facing a lot of threats in and outside the port on daily basis.

“I know which duty and beat that any member is working at every time. We have specific hours of duty, if anyone is found wanting, it is easy to apprehend such a person. We don’t walk alone, whenever you see our team outside, all the agencies are always on ground and you would see the inscription on their vehicles, it is a convoy assignment,” he said.

Fadipe, however, accused members of COMTUA of violating traffic rules on the port access road and coming behind to seek favour for releasing of their trucks.

“One of such violation is a truck belonging to COMTUA, which was recently arrested with double plate numbers. After the accusations (by COMTUA), I still have evidences here, whereby trucks belonging to this association were arrested with two plate numbers. They came to write a letter of appeal to me here, asking me to release the trucks and that in two days time, they would come and sort it out.

“As I speak with you, I have pushed the matter to the police to investigate it out. Using two plate numbers means that, when a truck commits an infraction, the number would be quickly changed to another one.

“I don’t believe any of my men are accomplices to the allegations COMTUA has made because there are monitors within monitors, and some of the officials are changed regularly. The officials are equally facing a lot of threats in and outside the port on daily basis.”

“The PSTT has written officially to the proponent of the story which is the COMTUA President, asking them to within three days confirm the story, retract it, or give a evidence. After the three days elapsed, both have refused to heed the demand of the PSTT,” he pointed out.

Speaking further, he said: “the allegation is that the PSTT uses a third party facility to detain trucks, and by extension, all the proceeds of that third party facility has a way of flowing back to the PSTT. We challenged them to prove it, because the facility does not belong to us.

“When your truck is apprehended for obstruction, the first approach is to direct the driver to move away. However, most of the trucks park on the access road without the drivers inside. When this is the case, the PSTT would tow the truck.

“The next thing is to take you to a truck park closer to where you are arrested, we use different truck parks which COMTUA is referring as third party facility. The truck park would never release you until the PSTT okay it.

“While you are at the park, the FRSC would engage you and check your documents, if not valid, they all have fine. After updating your documents, you would write a letter of undertaking that you would not do that again. This letter could be written by the company or the truck manager.

“Every truck apprehended by FRSC are issued FG’s Remita forms, you go to the bank and pay directly to the TSA Account. After this, you come back to write the letter of undertaking and attach everything. Without the park owners seeing a complete document and our authority,they won’t release the truck

“The park charge daily for the number of days truck staying there and PSTT has nothing to do with this.

“Majority of the trucks we are arresting do not have papers, some of them have not updated their documents for the past 15 years” he said.

Fadipe argued that “Before we started this process, we called all the truckers association and we all agreed to these process. They even agreed that anyone that called for special favour should be turned down.”