6 December 2007
Traders along the Nigeria-Benin Republic border post at Seme have accused officers and men of the Customs of extortion and fraud.
Some of the traders who spoke on condition of anonymity said the customs officials always seized their goods after extorting money from them.
One of them told newsmen that: "I have been trading along this route for over five years. This is where I feed my family. I can't rob or carry gun before I eat. I went to Cotonou to buy some clothes to sell, unfortunately, the customs officers took them from me without giving anything in return."
According to him, customs operatives have a warehouse at Agbara, along the Badagry expressway, where they store 'our goods, and at the end of the day, they share them among themselves'.
Another trader who identified herself as Mama Foyefoh also decried the activities of the customs men.
"I can't see myself working so hard for another person's pocket. They extort money from us and if we want them to release our goods to us, we must pay heavily.If government does not want us to do this business again, they should find us another job. Most of us are graduates. Unemployment pushed us to this job," she said.
However, a customs officer who pleaded anonymity told the Daily Trust: "We don't want any goods to be imported into this country because most of them are stolen goods. Let's appreciate what we have; moreover, most of these smugglers are robbers. That's why we are on the road to stop them."
On the whereabouts of the seized goods, the officer said: "At times, we give them back to the owners or we destroy them."
He warned drivers to avoid night trips and ensure that their vehicles and lights were in order.
"Anybody who disobeys the law is liable to punishment," he warned.
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