Illegal Arms Importation: We Don’t Ship Contraband Goods -Maersk Line

A top management staff of Maersk Line Limited, Mrs. Mercy Ebri, Friday, told a Federal High Court, Lagos, the her company was not involved in illegal shipments of 611 sophisticated pump action riffles into the country by the importer.

 Mrs. Ebri stated this while being cross-examined by the lawyers to the defendants, who are being tried before Justice Ayotunde Faji, by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

Those standing trial before the court are: a shipping company, Mahmud Hassan Trading Company Limited, its managing director, Hassan Mahmud, Salisu Abdulahi Danjuma, alongside Oscar Orkafor, Donatus Ezebunwa Achinulo and Matthew Okoye, said to be at large

They are facing charges bordering on illegal importation of fire arms, conspiracy, forgery and altering of documents, offering of graft to government officials and importation of prohibited goods.

The offences according to the prosecutor, Mr. Julius Ajakaiye,  are contrary to  to and punishable under sections 3(6),1(14)(a)(I) 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. And section 98(1) (b) of the Criminal Code Act

All the accused persons except Matthew Okoye, who is said to be at large, were first arraigned before the court on June 14, 2017, on offences which bordered on illegal importation of fire arms, conspiracy, forgery and altering of documents, offering of graft to government officials and importation of prohibited goods.

AGF in charge number FHC/L/190c/17, alleged that the all the accused persons conspired with one another to illegally import into Nigeria 661 Pump Action Rifles.

They were also alleged to have forged the documents which includes: two Bill of Ladings, one reads ‘Shanghai China’, as Port of Loading, instead of ‘Istanbul’, and another one which reads: ‘Steel Doors’, as the contents of the container instead oIm Customs’ Form M, Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) used in smuggling the the said 661 rifles Into the country.

Particularly, a retired Customs Officer, Mahmud Hassan, was alleged to corruptly offered the sum of N400, 000.00, to one Aliu Musa, the Examination Officer of the Federal Operation Unit of the Customs Service with an intent to prevent hundred percent search on a container marked PONU 825914/3, which was used in bringing into the country the said arms.

He was also alleged to have corruptly gave the sum of N1 million to Government officials at Apapa Port, through hi s colleague, Danjuma Abdulahi, in order to prevent the searching of the said container used in bringing in the 661 illegally imported Pump Action rifles.

At the resumed hearing of the matter today, Ebri, a holder of Masters Degree in Transport Management and Post Graduate Diploma in Shipping Management, while being cross-examined by counsel to Mahmud Hassan Trading Limited and its managing director, O. J. Akinwale, said: “when the shipper made a request for shipment, we confirmed that the booking and the goods are not contraband, the shipper take the order to take the container and stuff in the warehouse.

“Once Customs certified that its okay for us to load, go ahead. The law died not permit vessel owner to partake in examination and loading”.

When asked who prepare the Bill of Lading, the witness said: “the shipper send a draft of Bill of Lading and we print it out on our letter headed paper. It becomes original Bill of Lading. Before we print original Bill of Lading, we send the draft to shipper if is okay we then print. The law didn’t permit us to search the goods during stuffing and examination, we print on the Bill of Lading what the shipper said.

When further asked if she receive any complaint in relation to the container number PONU8259143 used in bringing the riffles. She said the Customs did not give any complaint, that was why the it was loaded.

When also asked if she was officer in charge of the container that came to Apapa on February 16, 2016, she said: ” we don’t monitor, Mearsk Lines don’t monitor. The contract between us was just that of carriage from container yard in Turkey to Apapa’s APM 3 Terminal, that is the contract we had with the carrier”.

The witness also told the court that the seal on the container was not broken or tampered with adding that the container came into the country intact.

When also asked if she see any of the defendants as one of the person came for the eating of the container in her office. The witness replied that she is unable to place any faces to the documents treated in her office, as she handles over 2000 documents on daily basis.

She also told the court that upon the arrest of the container and the defendants, she was invited by the Comptroller-General of Customs and made a statement and tendered documents as par what the shipper said this container was carrying.

When asked by Ibrahim Adamu, counsel to the fifth defendant of her reaction upon being called that the container the company shipped had problem. The witness told the court that her company don’t ship but only carry.

Further hearing of the matter has been adjourned till Monday, March 25.