Business
Heavy Trucks Association, Appeals To FG To Release 21 Chadian Borne Seized
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Heavy Trucks Association, Appeals to FG to release 21 Chadian borne seized trucks
By Madu Mohammed, Maiduguri
The Heavy Duty Trucks Association of Nigeria (HDTA), Borno State and the Borno State chapter of the Customs Clearing Agent (CCA); have urged the Federal Government to release 21 vehicles seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
It could be recalled that the EFCC arrested the drivers of 21 trucks loaded with good, alleging that they are transporting food items to the Chad Republic, Cameroon, and Central Africa Republic through Maiduguri-Gambouru and Bama roads .
Briefing newsmen at the NUJ centre, Maiduguri on Thursday the Chairman of Heavy Duty Trucks Association (HDTA), Bako Modu, said : “Some of our members of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and HDTA were arrested by the EFCC on the outskirts of Maiduguri metropolis for alleged transportation of food item to three neighbouring countries.”
The Chairman said that the 21 seized vehicles were transporting building materials, including cement and iron rods and not food items, as alleged by the EFCC, stressing that the commission claimed that the detention of the drivers and the seizure of building materials on the directives from higher authorities in Abuja…
Also the representative of the Customs, Clearing Agents, Gaddafi Mustapha, lamented that six of his trucks and 15 others were seized by the Agency, while the 21 drivers are currently in its custody, adding that the seized building materials worth over N500 million.
He said if EFCC continued with the detention of the drivers, they have no choice than embark on peaceful protest saying “Failure of the EFCC to release our drivers and 21 vehicles laden with building materials could lead to protest against the illegal seizures and detention of building materials and drivers for three days.
He said that the seized building materials are not perishable goods, otherwise the three unions would have incurred huge losses at the EFCC premises.
