LAGOS — The Nigeria Customs Service has released 36 trucks belonging to members of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners that were impounded during an investigation into alleged trade infractions at Zarmmak Bonded Terminal in the Amuwo Odofin and Mile 2 area of Lagos State.

The trucks had been detained inside the facility by Customs Police attached to the Federal Operations Unit, Zone 'A', after the terminal was sealed over suspected violations of customs regulations. The enforcement action halted haulage operations in the area, sparking serious concern among transport operators over accumulating daily losses.

The Secretary-General of the truck owners' association, Mr. Sani Mohammed, confirmed the release, attributing the resolution to the direct intervention of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, following extensive appeals from industry leadership.

Customs officers attached to the Zone 'A' Federal Operations Unit sealed the bonded terminal as part of a targeted enforcement operation to enforce compliance with extant customs laws and investigate suspect import declarations.

Maritime truckers maintained that their drivers were uninvolved in the underlying customs infractions of the terminal operators and appealed to customs leadership to prevent innocent logistics providers from suffering severe financial damage.

Following engagements with the President of the association, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi ordered the immediate release of the trapped vehicles to protect trade facilitation and maintain constructive stakeholder relations.