Customs agents urged to sign indemnity with importers

Customs agents have been urged to sign an indemnity clause with their importers before embarking on container clearing at the country’s seaports.

This warning is coming on the heels of the serial raid and arrest of dockworkers at the ports by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The Spokesperson of the Shippers Association of Lagos (SAL), Dr. Kayode Farinto, said customs agents should ensure they request for indemnity form from importers before clearing any consignment due to the high level of psychotropic substances and drug importation into the country’s waterways. He cautioned customs agents to be wary of accepting a bill of laden through digital means without doing due diligence.

Also, the Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Tin Can Island Chapter, Michael Ovien, advised members not to fall prey to the antics of unscrupulous importers who are hell-bent on sabotaging Nigeria’s economy.

He said that many customs agents have been caught in the web of importation of illegal items because they lend their clearing licences to third parties.

He said most importers do not declare consignment loaded with illicit drugs, but rather hand over documents to the agent to declare that he is the consignee, which he said is wrong.

Ovien said many of the affected agents are those taking over third part jobs, whereby they allow someone else to use their license to capture the job.

“As an agent, you did not travel abroad, you are now putting yourself as consignee and declarant, playing two games at once. Many of our people do this, and we have been telling them to desist from it.

“There is always an Indemnity form, it is left for the agent to draw an Indemnity form with its clients. This would be binding on the authorities,” he concluded.