The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released 36 trucks belonging to the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) that were earlier impounded during an investigation at Zarmmak Bonded Terminal in Lagos.
The trucks were seized by Customs Police under the Zone ‘A’ Federal Operations Unit (FOU) after the terminal was shut over suspected violations of customs regulations. While the NCS has not disclosed details of the alleged infractions, the action disrupted logistics operations and led to financial losses for truck owners.
AMATO Secretary-General Sani Mohammed confirmed the release, attributing it to the intervention of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, following appeals by the association. He said the affected operators were not linked to the alleged violations.
“The intervention has brought relief to our members who suffered losses due to the detention,” Mohammed said.
AMATO also commended the Customs chief for what it described as a responsive approach to stakeholder concerns, noting that the release would allow operators to resume business.
Meanwhile, the Zone ‘A’ FOU Controller, Comptroller Aliyu Gambo, said the enforcement action was aimed at ensuring compliance with existing customs laws.
Officials of Zarmmak Bonded Terminal did not respond to requests for comments at the time of filing this report.
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