Customs inspections of vehicles should be free of extortion

Nigerians have been complaining about the Nigeria Customs Service’s increased inspection of vehicles traveling the highways, claiming that the exercise is being used as an avenue for extortion by some customs officers.

We understand that the customs service is required by law to conduct vehicle inspections anywhere in the country, including at ports of entry and beyond. However, we are concerned about reports of extortion by servicemen, as well as the untold inconvenience and hardship that motorists face on the highways.

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Vehicle inspection on highways by customs had long been a routine practice to combat the threat of vehicle smuggling in the country, but it was suspended when the federal government closed the land borders and the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak. With the reopening of land borders and the easing of the pandemic, inspections to check the papers of vehicles traveling the highways have been reinstated. In a recent report, a cross-section of motorists said they were frequently intimidated and harassed by customs officers who hide behind the guise of checking smuggling and vehicle duty to commit illegalities.

Nigerians interviewed for the report described paying as much as N150,000 to customs officers patrolling the highways without receiving a receipt or proof of payment after being accused of possessing forged documents. According to the report, a number of locations have become notorious for such operations, including the always-bustling Naval Base area of the Abuja-Lokoja highway in Kogi State, the Ibilor area in Edo State, and the Okene-Edo-Ekiti route, which connects the north and south. Another black spot identified by motorists is the Jos-Abuja highway, particularly around the Riyom-Kuru and Forest axes.

We note that customs has made significant improvements in the documentation process for new vehicles, as well as simplified payment procedures. While we applaud these efforts, we must also acknowledge that there is still much work to be done. The illegal importation of vehicles into the country, which still occurs, cannot take place without customs officials’ knowledge and possibly connivance.

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Extortion is a problem that motorists complain about, and it tarnishes the image of the customs. Many people have left with the impression that the exercise is more about extorting money from motorists than it is about customs doing the job that the laws and Nigerians expect them to do. The customs authorities must correct this as soon as possible. The majority of motorists lament the fact that the fake documents they are accused of possessing were actually issued by customs officials. As a result, the customs service will need to tighten its operations to ensure that all documents issued are genuine. It should also implement a deep cleaning of procedures and reorientation of its men. It needs to improve its land border manning system to prevent not only the illegal importation of vehicles but also the illegal importation of all other contraband items.

Furthermore, when dealing with Nigerian citizens, the Nigeria Customs Service, like all other military and paramilitary institutions in the country, retains the authoritarian mentality and unfriendly attitudes of our military past. This must be discarded. The NCS is a revenue-generating entity as well as a law enforcement agency. Nigerians are the source of those funds.

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As a result, a cultural reorientation exercise is required to make customs officers more professional in their duties and to discourage acts that deviate from the service’s core mandate. They should also be expected to be courteous while remaining firm in their operations on the highways, keeping in mind that the NCS is primarily a service-oriented government agency. If it’s worth repeating, this is why it’s called the Nigeria Customs Service.

Furthermore, the service should educate Nigerians on how to spot forged vehicle documents. Fake vehicle documents will be less common as a result of this. Nigerians who use customs services in various ways, on the other hand, must do their part to ensure that the process is smooth and free of fraud. Citizens must always cooperate fully with the service’s officials and do so in a respectful manner. Those who have been wronged should not be afraid to file a complaint with the appropriate authorities. Everything possible should be done to ensure that customs operatives provide effective service.