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The South-West Zonal Coordinator of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr. Femi Anifowose, on Tuesday accused CP Ogunbode Olufunke, the Commissioner of Police for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), of deliberately refusing to reopen the association’s office at the MMIA, despite directives from the former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Speaking during a press conference and protest at the ANLCA national headquarters in Lagos, Anifowose said the continued closure of the airport secretariat has disrupted the association’s operations and is negatively affecting government revenue.
According to him, the refusal to release the office has prevented members from properly organizing their activities in line with directives of the Federal Government and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
“This woman has refused to open the ANLCA office at the airport despite instructions from the former Inspector-General of Police. Because of this decision, the government is losing money and the activities of licensed customs agents are being affected,” he said.
Anifowose maintained that access to the secretariat would allow the association to regulate its members, improve coordination and ensure compliance with government policies. He stressed that the current situation has left members “scattered” and weakened internal control mechanisms within the association.
The ANLCA leader also alleged that the police officer has ignored a court order and directives issued by senior police authorities, including an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, directing that the association’s property be handed over to the Board of Trustees (BoT), which he described as the legal custodian of ANLCA assets.
He said the BoT chairman and other executives had visited the police command in a bid to resolve the matter but were unable to secure the release of the office keys.
“We went with the BoT chairman and other leaders to meet the police authorities. We were told to provide an undertaking, which we did, yet the keys have still not been released to us,” Anifowose stated.
The zonal coordinator further alleged that the situation has created internal tensions within the association, insisting that the leadership structure at the airport chapter had already been resolved but the police refusal to reopen the office was undermining that resolution.
He warned that the continued closure of the secretariat is affecting trade facilitation activities at the airport and called on the current Inspector-General of Police to urgently intervene and call the officer involved to order.
“We are appealing to the Nigerian Police Force to look into this matter very critically. This is already affecting our operations and our trade,” he added.
Efforts to reach the Commissioner of Police for comments on the allegations were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to the command were not responded to as of press time.
