Cargo clearance: The Maritime Police Command Cargo Clearance Organized Alert Network

BY FUNMI ALUKO

Industry insiders has alleged that the Maritime Police Command orchestrates a coordinated network involving shipping companies, terminal operators, and regulatory intermediaries to detain cleared cargo designed solely  to extract payments before release.

According to the petitions and evidences sighted by our reporter, complainants confirmed that containers—sometimes numbering up to 160 in a week—are routinely placed on hold through letters sent to carriers and terminals, creating bottlenecks that are only resolved after significant sums are paid without any documented investigative outcomes.

Sources claim that maritime police operatives often request payments reportedly in the range of N200,000 per container before sending a “release note” to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, which then instructs shipping companies and terminals to release affected cargo. Consignees are subsequently required to settle accumulated demurrage and storage charges before Delivery Orders (DO) and Terminal Delivery Orders (TDO) are issued. Speaking on the development, sources within the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) say that these practices constitute an extortion-based system that thrives on administrative leverage rather than lawful intelligence-led enforcement.

The association questions the operational basis of the network, noting the absence of suitable facilities for re-examination at the Maritime Police premises and the lack of formal investigation reports following payment and release. ANLCA and the others is urging a dual-track response: a formal petition to senior police authorities—including the AIG Maritime Police Command and the Inspector-General of Police—and potential legal action seeking refunds of alleged illicit collections.

Complainants emphasizes that customs intelligence units already function within port examinations, making external detentions after clearance both duplicative and harmful to supply chain integrity.