In a direct bid to curb soaring logistics overheads and eliminate systemic bottlenecks at Nigeria’s primary maritime gateway, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has carried out a surprise enforcement raid along the Apapa port corridor. The operation resulted in the immediate dismantling of an entrenched network of unauthorized checkpoints and illegal toll booths that have long restricted real-sector trade lines.
The targeted enforcement, coordinated through PEBEC’s Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee (PCEC), addresses a critical issue for domestic supply chains, where informal extortions have historically driven up the cost of landing cargo in Nigeria.
Dismantling High-Value Toll Rings Led by the Director-General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, the joint task force targeted strategic transit hubs that had been weaponized by rogue security actors and port handlers to extort hundreds of thousands of naira from haulage operators daily.
The enforcement team swept across major congestion nodes, enforcing several immediate structural actions:
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Liverpool Bridge Axis: Demolishing multiple illegal makeshift toll structures operating both above and below the bridge framework.
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TICT Terminals: Flattening illicit collection points leading to the Terminal International Container Terminal (TICT) second gate and its primary computer facility.
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Customs Infrastructure Freeze: Instantly shutting down a static container occupied by Customs personnel after it was flagged for facilitating undocumented monetary collections.
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Corridor Clearing: Taking down active extortion rings at PTML and Ports & Cargo terminals, as well as notorious illegal toll centers at NAGAFF Junction, Etisalat Roundabout, and Fidelity Roundabout.
Institutional Inter-Agency Integration To guarantee compliance and prevent immediate re-occupation by unauthorized operators, the enforcement pool deployed a heavily integrated multi-agency framework. The joint task force brought together personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
Director-General Audu warned that legitimate security personnel stationed at approved, official border gates would face strict disciplinary actions if found using administrative protocols to cause artificial delays for haulage trucks.
To address the severe gridlock along the access ways, PEBEC issued an immediate clearance directive targeting fleet owners and haulage associations. Indiscriminate parking along the primary logistics corridors is banned, with the council threatening aggressive asset impoundment and heavy enforcement penalties for non-compliant logistics providers.
