Apapa Ports: Extortion Returns to Access Roads 24hrs After PEBEC Enforcement

Barely 24 hours after the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) carried out a special enforcement operation to dismantle illegal checkpoints and extortion points along the Apapa ports axis in Lagos, alleged corrupt practices have reportedly resurfaced on the corridor.

The PEBEC Director-General, Princess Zahra Audu, had led a multi-agency clean-up exercise last Thursday aimed at addressing complaints of extortion, delays, and high costs of doing business along the busy port access roads.

The operation involved collaboration with several agencies, including the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and Lagos State Government officials.

During the exercise, multiple illegal checkpoints scattered across key access routes into the Apapa port corridor were dismantled. These points had reportedly become revenue streams for touts and some security operatives who allegedly extorted truck drivers of large sums of money.

Officials fled their posts during the raid, abandoning makeshift shelters such as chairs and umbrellas as enforcement teams cleared major hotspots. Areas affected included locations around Liverpool Bridge, Terminal International Container Terminal (TICT), PTML, Ports & Cargo terminals, NAGAFF Junction, ETISALAT roundabout, and Fidelity roundabout.

Audu had urged truck drivers to immediately report any attempt to collect illegal fees, stressing that sustained monitoring would follow the enforcement exercise to prevent a relapse.

She also warned against indiscriminate parking of trucks along the port access roads, directing compliance from drivers and fleet operators or risk sanctions.

However, a fresh visit to the corridor at the weekend revealed that some enforcement officers had allegedly returned to previously dismantled locations, where they were reportedly seen stopping trucks and collecting unofficial payments.

According to observations, some truck drivers who resisted the alleged extortion were either forced to comply or asked to pull over from the access roads, raising concerns about the sustainability of the earlier intervention.

Stakeholders have repeatedly blamed the recurring extortion on weak enforcement and lack of sustained monitoring across the Apapa logistics corridor, one of Nigeria’s busiest trade routes.