Judiciary
By Benprince Ezeh
THE members of the Automobile Dealer’s Friends Association have raised alarm over the indiscriminate closure of their shops in Lagos by the officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS.
Speaking at a news conference in Lagos on Friday, November 1, Monday Ubani, the lawyer of the association, said: “The dealers are pleading with the government to unseal their shops and do proper checks to find out if any vehicles were brought into the country illegally.
“It’s unjust to invade the business premises and seal them up for a month.
“The NCS officers that invaded and sealed up these car shops did not even ask the owners to produce their vehicle clearance documents for inspection, but rather in a draconian manner sealed up the entire business premises with reckless abandon.
“The dealers informed us that they paid Customs Duties in respect of the vehicles in their car shops as stipulated by the NCS. Also, before taking delivery of their vehicles, they went through the process of clearing the vehicles from the ports, and that the cars were duly cleared by the NCS.
“It has also come to our knowledge that even after clearing these vehicles, the same Customs officers would intercept them on the road and extort more money from them.”
According to Ubani, it is indeed very surprising that the same NCS that cleared these vehicles will turn around to start invading the business premises of the dealer’s one after the other hunting for the same vehicles they cleared at the ports for improper clearance.
He noted that the Nigerian Customs and Excise Management Act, CEMA, gives them the power to examine, mark, seal and take account of any goods upon reasonable suspicion, but in this case, they did not examine, mark, seal and take account of the particular vehicles identified or suspected as not being properly cleared, but rather sealed up the entire premises without any form of examination or inspection of papers.
“This very act of the NCS has no protection under the CEMA, but smacks of impunity, illegality and flagrant abuse of power.
“Let’s even assume that the invasion and sealing up of these Cars Shops was because of improper clearance of the vehicles, the question is, who cleared those vehicles in the first place, is it not the Nigerian Customs.
“This action of the NCS does not in any way portray the Nigerian Customs in good light, but has rather reduced them to a laughing stock among members of international community, who are watching this arbitrary exercise of power,” Ubani said.
He said that the association had written to Ahmed Ali, Comptroller General of the NCS, giving him 14 days from the day he received the letter to unseal all the business premises of the dealers in Lagos state to enable them carry out their lawful businesses as Nigerian citizens.
“We have also by the same letter given him a period of 30 days from the date he receives the letter to pay a compensation of N10 billion to the Dealers in Lagos state for the severe hardship, suffering, embarrassment, loss of business, physical, mental and psychological torture and trauma his arbitrary, lawless inconsiderate action have caused these men and woman and their families; failing which, we shall be left with no other option than to seek redress through a competent court of law,” he added.
– Nov. 5, 2019 @ 14:25 GMT |
Tags: Automobile Dealers threaten court action over closure of shops
