The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), has declared a renewed war on unauthorised checkpoints and illegal roadblocks choking the Apapa and Tin Can Island port corridors.

This followed a stakeholder meeting convened in Lagos by the NPA, where top security officers, freight forwarders, transport unions and government agencies agreed on coordinated actions to dismantle operational bottlenecks frustrating cargo movement. The move is aimed at restoring sanity, easing congestion, and boosting efficiency on Nigeria’s busiest trade routes, the agency explained.

Speaking at the event, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Maritime, Okunade Ronke, debunked claims that police officers were deployed to checkpoints along the Lagos port roads. She warned that “any personnel found extorting truckers under claims of deployment from Zone 2 or Maritime Police is acting fraudulently and should be reported.”

Meanwhile, Okunade said the new collaborative framework will streamline enforcement and reduce the jurisdictional conflicts that have complicated operations for years.

Also, the NPA Managing Director, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, said investigations confirmed illegal extortion points, confusion over jurisdiction between security agencies, and distortions truckers and importers along the Apapa-Tin Can corridor, among the challenges.

Noting that these extortions along the Apapa port corridor are outside the port, Dantsoho said the disruptions extend as far as Berger and Mile 2, areas he said fall within the wider corridor network but have become notorious for delays and illegal collections.

He further identified clashes between security commands as a major source of the problem. According to Dantsoho, “the second issue is jurisdictional overlap. In our system, we have the police command for the port system, the Maritime Police, and then there is also the Lagos State Police Command. So, in some instances, there are clashes, overlaps.”

However, with both the police commands denying authorising any checkpoint or roadblock along the corridors, Dantsoho said the meeting has achieved a great success, saying the consensus was a positive step toward ending years of delays and frustration for importers, exporters and truck owners.

To sustain the gains, stakeholders agreed on a joint task force comprising the Lagos State Government, NPA, police, freight forwarders and transport unions to monitor the corridors, eliminate extortion and ensure free flow of traffic.

Dantsoho said all agencies have committed to deeper collaboration to reposition Nigeria’s ports as regional leaders, adding that emphasis will be on functioning better to enable the country to do better than its neighbours.

He also highlighted global recognition for Nigerian ports, following the recent World Bank rating of the country’s port system among the most improved in the world over the ongoing federal reforms.