NURTW, others plead to FG release 21 trucks of building materials in Borno
By Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri
Borno State chapter of the Customs Clearing Agent (CCA); has appealed to the Federal Government to release 21 vehicles seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday in Borno state.
The drivers of the seized vehicles were alleged to be transporting food items along the Maiduguri-Gambouru and Bama roads to Cameroon, Chad and Central Africa Republic.
While pleading the release of drivers and vehicles on Thursday at news conference in Maiduguri, the Chairman of Heavy-Duty Trucks Association (HDTA), Bako Modu, disclosed: “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.”
Read Also: MCRP trains enumerators on GBV service providers in Yobe
Modu, however, stated that the 21 seized vehicles were transporting building materials, including cement and iron rods and not food items, as alleged by the EFCC.
He attributed the detention and seizures of drivers and building materials to “directives from higher authorities in Abuja.”
A representative of CCAs, Gaddafi Mustapha, lamented that six of his trucks and 15 others were also seized by the Agency, while the 21 drivers are currently in its custody.
He said the seized building materials are valued at about N500 million.
On EFCC’s continued detention of the drivers, Modu said: “Failure of the EFCC to release our drivers and 21 vehicles laden with building materials could lead to protects against the illegal seizures and detention of building materials and drivers for three days.
He noted that the seized building materials are not perishable goods, otherwise the three unions could have incurred huge losses at the EFCC premises.
