Lawyer: Customs on South East roads: it’s illegal

Lawyer: Customs on South East roads: it’s illegal

Second Vice President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and human rights lawyer, Monday Ubani has condemned too many Customs roadblocks along Lagos-Ore-Benin-Onitsha Road, describing it as illegal.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Ubani said it was an aberration that Customs allowed contraband goods to enter through the borders “only to mount roadblocks along the roads leading to a particular section of the country and start confiscating goods that had been cleared or have been illegally allowed to enter the country.”

He advised Customs to strengthen security around the borders and ensure that contraband products are not allowed in, instead of engaging in illegality.
“They cannot probate and reprobate. What they are doing currently is  illegal. It is just that no one has challenged it in the court. Once it is challenged in the court and there is a court pronouncement, the illegality will stop.
“There is no other part of the country where you have such number of road blocks which you find along Lagos-Ore-Benin-Onitsha Road. Such action appears discriminatory and will aggravate the demand for state of Biafra, because it appears to be targeted at a particular people,” he said.
However, Ubani said the Igbo are better of within a united Nigeria under true federalism, where there is equity, justice and fairness.
“My fear about the demand for state of Biafra is that Igbo leaders of today have not demonstrated their ability to lead. Are they not the ones we have as governors, senators etc. Let the leaders demonstrate true leadership.”