The Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) classifies cargoes as overtime if the importer fails to clear and take delivery of them after 28 days in the port. The law also allows Customs to auction such cargoes after 90 days of arrival at the port.
The clearing agents have called on the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the House of Representatives on Customs and Excise to conduct a public hearing to review the 28 days for overtime cargoes and vehicles to 90 days.
The Youth Leader of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Remilekun Sikiru, who disclosed this, said about 3,000 overtime vehicles are trapped at Five Star Logistics Terminal at Tin Can port, while PTML terminal holds about 2,000 vehicles.
Sikiru, who is also the coordinator of Five Star Logistics Terminal at Tin Can Port, said the overtime vehicles are causing a lot of congestion, noting that customs have failed to take them to the designated terminal for overtime for more than three years.
