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Increasing numbers of cross-border travellers in the ECOWAS subregion have decried what they described as excessive extortions at the various border posts.
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Travellers from Nigeria to Ghana by Road said that unsuspecting nationals have fallen prey to the alleged crime by officials of Customs, Immigration, Police and other security officials of the different countries.
One of the frequent travellers is the chairman of the Association of Brotherhood Academic Scholars (ABAS) Visitations Committee, Archbishop Emmanuel Ekuri.
Recalling his experiences in the hands of the border officials on Tuesday, Ekuri who returned to Calabar from yet another visit to Ghana where he attended a one-week inter-faith symposium in Accra, said deliberate extortions and other forms of corrupt practices are ongoing without let or hindrance.
“When I travelled across the West Coast border yesterday, I got so worried over the ongoing massive extortions to the extent that I almost stopped the journey due to continual frustrations and delays.
“What I witnessed was appalling, grossly unbecoming and unacceptable. The massive extortions of helpless travellers, harassment, assaults and other forms of corrupt practices by uniformed personnel working at the border such as officers of NIS, police, DSS, Customs, and Drug Law Enforcement Agency, to mention just a few,” he said.
According to him: “Before we could successfully cross borders after several hours of delays, we spent whooping sums far greater than what we could imagine in trying to stamp our international passports and bribery of officers.”
Ekuri said presently the way it is, it appears passport holders now pay more as stamping of passport now costs up to 10, 000 CFA while those with ID cards pay less, lamenting that it was really outrageous.
He cautioned intending travellers through the land borders to always carry extra cash because “the charges by the border officers who prefer to masquerade under the guise of unscrupulous agents are arbitrary and quite exorbitant. “
Said he: “All intending travellers should be wary of unscrupulous people at the borders and other forms of security risks, which is on the increase. You could be a target for crimes, including kidnapping and robbery. Be wary of people hovering around you in the guise of coming to help.”
While calling on public servants to be humane in their conduct at the borders, Ekuri said: “The immigration of different national units should summarily dismiss erring and extortionate officers.”
He further called for public display of each country’s official rates of customs duties, charges and taxes, so that travellers can insist on paying only the approved rates.
