Nigeria Customs Service,NCS, has kicked off the implementation of the policy banning importation of vehicles through the land borders with many vehicles trapped at the borders.

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents,ANLCA, Seme Chapter, however, said so many vehicles were trapped at the border posts.

Customs Public Relations Officer, Seme Command, Selechang Taupyen, said in Badagry that the service had to comply with government’s fiscal policy, saying officials of the command had been placed at strategic places to curb any form of smuggling of cars.

The Federal Government had on December five placed a ban on importation of used and new vehicles through land borders with effect from January one, twenty-seventeen.

According to him, the border is close to the point of importation of cars and the command has placed its men and escorts at strategic places to ensure that there is no smuggling of cars through the border.

Taupyen said the policy was meant to encourage local production of vehicles in the country, saying the public must look at the long term benefit of this policy as this would help in encouraging local production of vehicles and it would boost the economy.

Chairman of ANLCA, Bisiriyu Danu, said as at Friday, December thirty, the Customs Authorities asked the agents to stop payment of Customs duty on vehicles by five in the evening.

Danu said the association was not aware of any circular counter to the ban, saying so many vehicles uncleared by Customs agents were as at today trapped at the ports of neighbouring countries, saying the association went into dialogue with some government representatives to grant a three-month grace period.

He said the grace period would enable ships carrying vehicles to berth for clearance before implementation of the ban, saying the ban would render many car dealers around Badagry and environs idle and this could be a dangerous trend.

Danu said the enforcement of the policy would increase smuggling activities across the border, saying the policy would also increase unemployment among youths in the area.

President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, Lucky Amiwero, said the Federal Government should inaugurate a committee to look critically at the implications of the ban on vehicle imports.

He said government should also look at the risk of lives of Customs officers because there would be increase in smuggling, saying a question that should also be asked was “Are Nigerian Ports friendly to accept vehicles’’?

The Customs agent said the shipping costs, the terminal operators handling costs and other costs make importation of vehicles into Nigerian ports most expensive compared to other ports in the sub-region.

National Publicity Secretary of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, Stanley Ezenga, said the association`s support was borne out of the economic benefits that the policy would bring to the nation.

Ezenga said this was in terms of revenue and improved capacities in local automobile manufacturing.