The protest was against the VIN valuation system introduced by the Federal Ministry of Finance, currently implemented by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
It commenced on Monday and entered the fourth day, yesterday, as customs is yet to find lasting solutions to the agitation of the policy.
But, the National Coordinator of NAGAFF 100 per cent Compliance team, Ibrahim Tanko, said intelligence report indicated that hoodlums are already on the ground to hijack the protest from the aggrieved freight forwarders and licensed customs agents.
Tanko, who briefed newsmen on the issue, said the association has instructed members to withdraw from the protest at the nation’s seaports to avoid what happened during the End SARS protest to avoid loss of life and property.
He said: “We remember what happened to End SARS, where some people hijacked the peaceful protest and at the end, we lost some lives. This time around we have information since yesterday that people from Ajegunle and Mushin are already participating in the protest.
“They don’t know what freight forwarding business is and with such people around, the situation will be out of control and I don’t want anybody to tarnish the image of the 100 per cent Compliance task team of NAGAFF because of the protest.
“The police and Navy have been alerted and that is why we have to withdraw from the ongoing project.”
According to Tanko, there are amicable ways of addressing issues of policies in trade facilitation other than protests.
He urged freight forwarders and Customs agents to engage Nigeria Customs constructively on the best way to resolve their agitation.
Tanko added that the NAGAFF executives at the national level would engage the management of Customs on the best way in addressing the VIN policy.
Lending his voice to the issue, a security expert, Dr. Segun Musa, urged freight forwarders to terminate the protests immediately and change strategies to push forward their grievances.
He said the use of propaganda like thugs joining the protest, is an attempt to arrest and if possible kill innocent practitioners participating in the protests.
“Kindly be mindful of the needs for strategic planning as the world is aware of your genuine argument and the need for government to call Customs to order. Intelligence shows that Customs prefers importers abandoning their goods in the ports, to have more goods to auction, hence the need for an intellectual fraudulent policy like VIN.
According to him, stakeholders will continue to implore the Federal Government to check the excesses of the Nigeria Customs Service that keeps affecting the economy, increasing the poverty level and keeping innocent citizens in abject poverty and joblessness.
