The South-East Amalgamated Market Association has petitioned the National Assembly to intervene on their behalf over high demurrage at ports across the country, stressing that their goods were being confiscated by clearing agencies and other authorities.

The group urged NASS to prevail on the handling agencies to release their consignments that had continued to attract demurrage not caused by the traders.

In the petition signed by their president, Chief Gozie Akudolu and Secretary, Alex Okwudiri, the group noted that their goods worth millions of naira had been seized by the authorities and handling agencies at the nation ’s ports. They complain that some of their members raised funds through bank loans and overdrafts to import the goods from Asia and Europe.

The petition states, “The cargoes and consignments of our members were lying at the facilities of the handling companies at the ports all the period of lockdown while the interest on the loans and overdrafts with which the goods were imported were accumulating with the banks.

“The worst now came with the cargo handling companies that had , over the period, shut down and refused services to our members, now demand demurrage for the consignments”.

Nwada Ugochinyere Onyechere reporting, Obinwannem News