Wednesday, September 10, 2025 - For
along time, state and non-state actors alike have turned port access roads into
lucrative cash cows, exploiting truckers through the unchecked collection of
illegal levies.
The ugly situation took a toll on many Nigerians and drove
up the cost of doing business.
At times, these unlawful levy collections spiraled into
violent clashes involving hoodlums, security operatives, and truck drivers.
Many drivers sustained serious injuries, while some tragically lost their lives
in the chaos fueled by extortion. Exploiting the persistent gridlock on port
corridors, both state and non-state actors used the situation as cover for
their illicit activities. However, following sustained investigative reports by
the Daily Sun exposing these practices, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and
the Lagos State Government stepped in. Their intervention, which included
clearing the notorious gridlock on the port access roads, brought significant
relief, leading to a sharp reduction in extortion and the dismantling of
illegal checkpoints along the port axis.
Despite the reduction in extortion, there are still some
checkpoints within and outside the Apapa logistics rings where truck drivers
face extortion despite possessing valid call-ups to access the ports.
According to Daily Sun truck drivers accessing Lagos ports
may soon find relief from years of harassment and the burden of multiple
illegal levies, with the introduction of a harmonised daily charge designed to
regulate both receipted and unreceipted payments imposed on them. Stakeholders
have since applauded the Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee
(LASTCOC) for taking this decisive step toward tackling the long-standing
menace.
Before the intervention, truckers plying routes from Apapa
to destinations like Ikorodu were often forced to part with between N30,000 and
N40,000 in multiple payments to different local government agents and roadside
gangs.
Speaking on the development, a chieftain and member of the
committee, Mr. Seyi Adekanbi, pointed out that while incidents of extortion by
hoodlums and multiple checkpoints along port access roads have not been
completely eradicated, there has been a significant decline compared to what it
used to be in the past.
Addressing the multiple payments, he said that LASTCOC has
now introduced a harmonised levy of N3,000 per truck, payable once per day,
which covers the entire journey without further payments at any point.
“Once you pay it in a day, you don’t pay anywhere else. In
fact, the truckers have not had it so good,” he stated.
“Thank God, members of the committee are people of means;
that is why we have been able to stay afloat. For now, we are operating largely
from our individual resources. We can’t allow ourselves to go back to the old
days of harassment and illegal toll collection, so we are working around the
clock to find sustainable solutions,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Association of
Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Mr. Muhammed Sani Bala, noted that a series of
complaints from trucking unions and associations had prompted a coordinated
response aimed at eliminating obstacles that hinder cargo evacuation and
frustrate ease of doing business at the ports.
According to Muhammed, these interventions have led to a
significant reduction in the activities of what he described as governmental
and non-governmental extor[ktion bandits who had previously mounted multiple
checkpoints on logistics corridors.
“This proactive approach has brought about a notable decline
in the number of illegal roadblocks targeting truckers. However, the problem
has not been completely eradicated.
“There are still some checkpoints within and outside the
Apapa logistics rings where our members face extortion despite possessing valid
call-ups to access the ports,” he added.
The AMATO secretary general said that the association remains committed to eradicating the menace, pledging continued engagement with relevant authorities and collaboration with other stakeholders until extortion on the port access roads is reduced to the barest minimum.
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