AN INVESTIGATION OF EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SECURITY AGENCIES IN NIGERIA PORTS

AN INVESTIGATION OF EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SECURITY AGENCIES IN NIGERIA PORTS

​​​​​​​Background of the study

The assertion that Nigeria is one of the most successful maritime nations in the world is supported by the fact that this view is shared by both domestic maritime operators and those based in other countries. Ports are intended to be secure areas, and they should be policed as such, in order to prevent crimes such as thievery, smuggling, sabotage attacks, and stowaways (Badejo,2020). In days gone by, theft was confined to acts of minor pilferage and the broaching of boxes by Dockers who were only interested in lining their own pockets; these types of thefts neither drew attention to themselves nor resulted in a loss that was substantial to the cargo consignee. After some time, the criminal activity developed into piracy aboard boats that were anchored. After a degree of success in preventing piracy at anchoring, the focus switched to the ports themselves as the primary target of anti-piracy efforts. During this time, crews were taken hostage and cargo was stolen (Ndikom, 2022). There are a large number of security agents who are responsible for maintaining the overall safety of our ports. Some of these security agents are conventionally recognized law enforcement officers, while others falsely claim to be government authorities. Despite these facts, the ports continue to be easy accessible to a large number of criminals, who are now often referred to as "what rats," as well as gangs of other bad actors who have made the ports their homes (Ben-Yami,2022). They break into the lighting system in order to carry out their normal and well-known actions, so they can get away with it. These thugs, who are working in conjunction with some of the port's security personnel and officials, are now capable of committing every kind of crime imaginable. When crew members go ashore, they are sometimes subjected to violent attacks and robberies both within and outside of the ports. Theft of cargo has progressed from the breaking of any kind of package inside the ports to the total disappearance of containers outside of the ports (CBN, 2022). False owners are successfully transporting their goods out of the port in their cargoes. Unauthorized personnel often enter ships with the intention of stealing its cargo as well as the ship's property, particularly anything related to safety. What a terrible thing to do! Because of the attention that they attract, the commodities that are transported in vehicles are at a greater risk of being stolen. They are laden with a variety of items that are not permitted in parks, which is the typical location where they await clearance (Gbosi,2021). They are locked carefully, and then the keys are turned over to the security personnel for their protection. However, the majority of these cars, whether they contain undeclared commodities or not, are inexplicably unlocked, and important components are taken from them. The shippers, freight forwarders, and consignees all believe that clearing cargoes is a procedure that is just as challenging as the proverbial "head of the camel needing to pass through the eye of the needle." Clearing agents are going to be inconvenienced by the lengthening of the customs long room. The normal indifference to work by officials, who mistakenly believe they are doing the agents a favor, is the root cause of the issues that arise across all of the departments that are participating in the clearance. If the agents do not "cooperate" with the authorities, then the processing of their submissions will either be needlessly slowed down even more, or they will be entirely lost in the complex maze of red tape. Holding made it through the ferocity these authorities and the products that were freed endured, the clearing agent must now "settle" all of the other security agents and officials, despite having valid release paperwork. Some of the security personnel are still known to go beyond the ports in order to interrogate and even torture the consignee in order to extract a "settlement." Port insecurity, in conjunction with other issues such as high port rates, is now causing Nigerian ports to suffer a significant loss of customers to neighboring ports (Gbosi,2022). Lome and Cotonou are two examples of ports where the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act of 1971 does not apply to the operational bills of lading; however, this is not the case with charter parties and regular contracts of affreightment. The fact that the Act (COGSA "71") does not provide such that ship owners may avoid responsibility for loss of or damage to cargo deriving from piratical actions usually means that Nigeria has entered the club of ports that are branded as being unsafe in the insurance circle. As a direct result of this, ship owners and shippers are forced to pay greater premiums for their vessels and their cargoes, a cost that is eventually transferred to the general people.

It is necessary to have a security system that is both efficient and effective if Nigeria is to see growth on both the political and economic fronts. This system must ensure the safety of commodities and workers aboard ships. To guarantee that there is continued safety at the port, it is necessary for there to be operations on the part of both the relevant authorities and the private sectors.

BUY THIS TOPIC ON WHATSAPP

Related Project Materials

ABSTRACT

Steganography is the art of hiding the fact that communication is taking place, by hiding...