NAGAFF Suspends Maritime Police Strike After NPA Backed Zero Blockage Directive
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) 100% Compliance Team has suspended its warning strike against the Maritime Police following assurances from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) that there would be no further blockage of containers by the police at the ports.
National Coordinator of the Team, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, disclosed this on Friday, August 28, 2026, during a press briefing at his office, explaining that the decision followed separate meetings with the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) and the Managing Director of the NPA.
Tanko said the warning strike, which was prompted by the alleged blockage of containers by the Maritime Police after Customs had released them, attracted responses from various government quarters, including the police and the NPA.
According to him, the AIG had initially invited the team for a meeting, where the issue of persistent container blockage was discussed.
He said the police had proposed reducing the number of containers being blocked, but he rejected the position, arguing that it was unreasonable to assume that all vessels and manifests entering the country were under suspicion.
Tanko explained that the situation changed following a subsequent meeting with the NPA Managing Director, who, according to him, disclosed that there was a directive from the Presidency for zero blockage of containers by the Maritime Police.
He said the NPA boss made it clear that where there was an issue relating to the clearing process, the Nigerian Customs Service should take charge, rather than the police.
“The directive is zero blockage. There is no reason for any maritime police to block any container from the port. If there is any issue, Customs should be in charge of that container, not Maritime Police,” Tanko quoted the NPA Managing Director as saying.
He argued that government agencies should operate within their respective statutory responsibilities, stressing that matters relating to customs clearance should remain with the Nigeria Customs Service.
Tanko also cited agencies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), saying they should not maintain a permanent presence inside the port for routine clearing operations but should be invited by Customs whenever their expertise is required.
He disclosed that another agreement reached at the meeting was to reduce the number of government agencies operating permanently within the port from about nine or ten to five.
However, he said the specific agencies that would remain in the port had yet to be disclosed.
Following the resolutions reached at the meeting, Tanko announced the suspension of the warning strike, saying the major demand of the Compliance Team had been addressed.
“Based on what we agreed collectively there, we are hereby suspending the strike,” he said.
He added that the team’s enforcement officers would commence monitoring from the following week to ensure that the resolutions were being implemented.
Tanko said the NPA had also directed the Compliance Team to report any container blocked after the latest meeting directly to the NPA management.
He explained that blockages predating the meeting would be treated as old cases, while any fresh blockage occurring after the directive would be brought directly to the attention of the NPA Managing Director.
“If there is any blockage after yesterday, we should write to him directly,” he said, warning that any fresh blockage by the police would amount to a disregard of the Federal Government’s directive.
Responding to questions on why he had taken the lead in raising the issue, Tanko said his primary concern was the welfare of freight forwarders and the need to improve the ease of doing business at Nigerian ports.
He said the persistent blockage of containers had become a burden on freight forwarders and was undermining government’s efforts to facilitate trade.
“My interest here is for freight forwarders. We should stop living in bondage,” he said, adding that he took the step because the issue affected the entire industry.
Tanko also acknowledged that freight forwarders had previously directed complaints concerning container blockage to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, but said the latest engagement had shown that the appropriate channel for such complaints was the NPA.
He said the NPA Managing Director advised that future complaints relating to the matter should be directed to the authority rather than the Shippers’ Council.
According to him, this clarification was important because previous engagements with the Shippers’ Council had failed to resolve the problem.
While expressing optimism over the latest resolution, Tanko said the Compliance Team would closely monitor developments to ensure that the agreement was not treated as a temporary measure.
He said members who encounter fresh cases of container blockage would be expected to provide the date and details of the incident so the team could determine whether it occurred after the new directive.
Tanko maintained that the suspension of the strike was based on the government’s response to the grievances raised by the association.
“We are calling off the strike because what we complained about, the decision has been taken in our favour. So why are you going for strike?” he said.
The NAGAFF Compliance Team’s latest position effectively places the responsibility for resolving customs-related container issues on the appropriate government agencies, while putting the police on notice against interfering with containers undergoing legitimate clearing procedures.
- Design