The Cashew Merchandise and Exporters, under the aegis of National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), Ogun State chapter on Monday decried what it described as incessant harassment and extortion of its members security agencies and governments agencies.
The association said, its members are being forced to cough out different amounts of money, depending on the tonnage of the cashew, the mood of those manning the road blocks and check points, which they have turned to business centres or the negotiating power of drivers conveying the goods.
Speaking through its Consultant, Special Duties, Hon. Taiwo Akinlabi, NCAN, the extortion officers usually harass their members and force them to pay illegal taxes and levies at collection points mounted along the roads, stressing that this has become a serious threat to their members operations and efforts to contribute to the present administration’s agenda of strengthening the economy through agriculture.
According to Akinlabi, “along the Ilara – Imeko -Obada-Olorunda- Ayetoro – Abeokuta Rounder road alone, they have mounted about 43 road blocks, 15 Police check points, 3 for the Nigerian Army, 19 belonged to the Nigerian Customs, the Nigerian Immigration has 2 and another 2 were erected by the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service while our members were being forced to pay at each spot monies ranging between 10,000 and 50,000 (ten and fifty thousand) naira per truck”.
“For example, a truck driver moving 30 tons of Cashew from Ilara in Imeko Afon Local Government Area of the state through Abeokuta, the State capital to a warehouse in Lagos state will have to part with between 600,000 and 650,000 (six hundred and six hundred fifty) naira! at the multiple checkpoints and roadblocks mounted by both uniformed and non uniformed persons”.
“The extortion officers usually harass our members and force them to pay illegal taxes and levies at collection points mounted along the roads, they include the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Customs Service, the 35 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, officials of the state Internal Revenue Service, the Parks and Garages Development Board, Local Governments Task Forces and Government Ministries, those of Environment, Commerce and Industry as well as Transport have been prominent and you won’t believe this, Community Development Associations (CDAs), are also extorting our members for transporting Cashew on the roads. An example is Idiya community at Rounder Abeokuta”.
“It is concerning that those extorting from our members are drawing salaries and wages from the government and other employers but they have devised many ways of causing unnecessary delays and problems for anyone that refused to meet their demands, thereby forcing our members to comply or risk spending hours at the road blocks and having to miss warehouse delivery times, agreement with truck owners or other engagements, talk less of exposing the drivers to the dangers of travelling behind schedule during unholy hours”.
“The incessant harassment has become a serious threat to our members operations and efforts to contribute to the present administration’s agenda of strengthening the economy through agriculture and that’s why we are appealing to the relevant authorities to put a stop the harassment and extortion that have been causing untold hardship to our members and capable of leading to violent resistance and chaos”.
“To promote the enabling environment for our members to operate their businesses seamlessly, we are calling for the urgent intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government, Governor Dapo Abiodun and the State Government, Chairmen of Local Governments, the Inspector General of Police and the State Commissioner of Police, the Comptroller – General of Customs and the Customs Area Controllers, the Chief of Army Staff and the 35 Artillery Brigade Commander”.
“We are also not leaving the authorities of the Ogun State Internal Revenue Service, the Parks and Garages Development Board, PAGADEB and the State Commissioners for Community Development and Cooperatives, the Ministry of Environment, Commerce and Industry as well as that of Transport in Ogun State”.
“Cashew is not a contraband or smuggled product. Save our business from collapsing because of extortion. We are begging the relevant authorities to look into this problem and put a stop to the trend because extortion is adding to the high cost of transportation of cashew and reducing our production capacity and many of our members can no longer supply directly to international companies in Lagos and other neighbouring states”.
“Enough is enough, we cannot continue to work to feed illegal tax collectors on the roads, let the relevant authorities rescue us from extortion that is killing our business so that we can prosper and contribute our quota to national development”.
Akinlabi noted that the association has contributed about N19,950,000 to the Ogun State economy in 2024.
“Last year alone, about 9,500 (nine thousand, five hundred) metric tonnes of Cashew nuts were produced in this state for sale both within Nigeria and for exports with all legitimate taxes and levies duly paid to the right quarters including the legitimate grading fees of 11,500 (eleven thousand five hundred) naira per ton of graded cashew and another 5% (five percent) payment as export levy on every consignment being taken out of the country”.
“We can therefore say it boldly that we are partners in progress with the federal, state and local government authorities in the efforts to move the nation forward, especially through the agriculture, as we energize the Cashew industry to promote economic growth, job creation, and foreign exchange earnings”.
Reacting, the Commissioner for Police, Lanre Ogunlowo urged members of the association to get in touch with his office for his necessary intervention.
Ogunlowo said “please direct their members in Abeokuta to come to command headquarters”.
Similarly, the spokesman for the 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, Capt Idereghi Akari “Let them write officially to the Brigade then we will investigate it”.
