Unity Bank Plc has announced that its services have been restored and is now prepared to accept duty payments for cargo from licensed customs agents and freight forwarders.

This announcement follows complaints from agents affiliated with the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria regarding their inability to process jobs and pay customs duties at the bank since September 2, 2024, due to server downtime.

Mr. Matthew Obiazikwor, the bank’s Head of Corporate Communications, shared this information in a statement on Thursday.

Frank Ogunojemite, President of APFFLON, expressed concerns that agents have faced difficulties in paying duties since Monday due to the bank's system failure, resulting in additional costs for demurrage and storage of cargo at seaports and airports.

He noted that since the cargoes were processed through Unity Bank, switching to another bank is not a feasible option.

In an update regarding the situation, Obiazikwor stated, “We have successfully completed our system maintenance, and all services are now fully operational. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and are dedicated to delivering outstanding service.”

Ogunojemite previously highlighted that the ongoing demurrage charges on cargoes at the port were not the fault of the freight forwarders and suggested that the bank should compensate them for the losses incurred during the system outage.

He remarked, “We have been unable to capture and pay our customs duties since Monday due to issues with Unity Bank.

The bank has not yet resolved these problems, leading to accumulating demurrage.

It is challenging to switch banks because the bank where you opened your Form M and processed your job is where you must complete your transactions, and we are uncertain when these issues will be resolved.”