Clarion Shipping terminal refutes denies withholding importers cars

Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, a Bonded Terminal in Lagos has refuted claim that it was withholding cars belonging to members of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF).

Mr Francis Okocha, General Manager of the terminal, made this known in Lagos, on Saturday.

Okocha said that the terminal was not aware if NAGAFF, as a body had any consignment in Clarion, adding that if they did, they had not approached Clarion to ask questions, or otherwise.

He added that if their members had issues with Clarion, and it was reported to them, they should come to Clarion to find if the report by their members was right or wrong, and they had not done that.

“But what I know is that sometime in July, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), through their Tariff and Trade Department in Abuja, sent us, a list of about N480 million unpaid assessment by agencies.

“These agencies went to customs portal, assessed it and agreed to pay certain amount of duty to the federal government through the NCS, and they used Clarion pay location to do that assessment, after which they refused to pay the duty.

“Customs wrote us and gave us numbers of those agencies that had assessed and refused to pay, and told Clarion to pay those amounts since their pay location was used.

“Clarion said no, because the terminal cannot pay for something that they did not initiate, we neither know the importer or the agent, but Customs refused, stating that since our pay location was used, we should pay the amount,” he said

Okocha pointed out that this battle had been on since July, adding that it was only last two weeks after the intervention of the National Assembly, that customs told Clarion to pay N115million, out of the amount.

He said they were told by customs that if the N115 million was not paid, the terminal would not operate, and presently Clarion was struggling to pay.

“The place have been temporarily shut down, no new consignments have been brought in.

“What we are doing in Clarion is that all those agencies that have assessed and refused to pay, if they don’t go and pay what they had assessed, they will not be allowed to take their goods from the terminal.

“Most of them who knew what they did was wrong, had gone to pay, and they had since taken their goods, so anybody, whose car or goods in Clarion now, based on this scenario, means the person had not paid the custom duty.This is the true position,” he said.

NAN reports that in a statement, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, National Chairman, 100 Percent Compliance Team, NAGAFF, had petitioned NCS over illegal practices and alleged criminal conspiracy by Clarion shipping terminal.

According to Tanko, the Clarion Shipping terminal was also accused of illegal withholding of 14 vehicles belonging to its members.

The group said the vehicles had been trapped at the terminal since July 2021, despite full payment of import duty and other charges.

The group also accused Clarion terminal of illegally releasing  of 19 containers without payment of demand notice, amounting to N8.5million.

Tanko appealed to the Comptroller General of Customs, to prevail on the management of Clarion terminal to release all the 14 vehicles.

He added that they should as well commence investigation into the alleged release of the 19 containers.