By Boye Oyeyemi –
Car dealers from Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Oyo states have stormed the Ondo/Ekiti Customs Command in Akure, protesting alleged extortion, harassment and illegal seizure of vehicles by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The dealers, mostly importers of Tokunbo cars, carried placards with inscriptions such as “We pay duty; stop the harassment” and “Customs – Uphold the Law, Not Extortion.”
They alleged that vehicles duly cleared at Lagos ports were still being intercepted on highways. Cars, they said, were arbitrarily revalued, and fresh charges demanded.
National Vice President (Southwest) of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON), Alhaji Ibrahim Bankole Adeniyi, said, “We came here because of the way they embarrass us, stop us on the road, and issue fresh bills after we have cleared vehicles from the ports. It’s exploitation. They collect money from us at the port, and when we get to our states, they still collect more. That’s why we came en masse, to fight for our rights.”
Adeniyi praised the Ondo/Ekiti Comptroller, Queen Obazee, for receiving the dealers, adding that Obazee denied knowledge of the alleged malpractice but promised to investigate.
Ondo State AMDON Chairman, Jenyo Ogunlade, also accused some operatives of extorting between ₦200,000 and ₦1 million from dealers.
“We pay duty at Apapa and clear our vehicles, yet they still impound them and extort us heavily. They want to kill our business. We won’t relent until this injustice stops,” he said.
The dealers vowed to continue the protest until Customs halts the alleged extortion and allows duly cleared vehicles free passage on Southwest highways.