Customs Seizes 56 Containers of Prohibited Items Worth ₦5.5bn to Protect Local Production

By Aminat Damilola, Assistant Editor

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting local farmers, manufacturers, and businesses from illegal imports and false declarations that threaten domestic production and jobs.

Some of the seized containers

The Nigeria Customs Service Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, announced on Tuesday that officials intercepted 56 containers of contraband valued at N5.53 billion.

Speaking to reporters at the Onne Port in Rivers State, Adeniyi disclosed that the prohibited goods carried a total duty-paid value of over five billion naira.

CGC Adeniyi disclosed that, “The intervention formed part of intelligence-driven and risk-based operations aimed at preventing prohibited, restricted and improperly declared consignments from entering the Nigerian market, thereby crippling the overall productivity of our local businesses.”

According to him, unchecked importation of products that could be produced or processed locally places additional pressure on Nigerian farmers, manufacturers and other domestic producers by exposing them to unfair competition, weakening demand for local products and discouraging investment across domestic value chains.

“The economic impact is especially significant in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Large-scale importation of products that Nigeria can produce or process may undermine the Federal Government’s efforts to promote local industries, strengthen food security, create jobs, and diversify the economy.” He said.

CGC Adeniyi stressed that Customs enforcement was not designed to frustrate legitimate businesses, but to ensure that Nigerians and compliant businesses operated within a fair, secure and predictable trading environment, adding, “The Service’s risk-based approach enabled it to facilitate legitimate cargo while directing enhanced scrutiny towards consignments considered high-risk.”

The CGC also commended the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Aliyu Alkali, and officers of the Port Harcourt II Area Command for the interceptions, while advising importers and other stakeholders to establish the admissibility of their intended imports before commencing transactions and to make accurate declarations concerning the description, quantity, value, origin and classification of goods.

According to the CG, the consignments comprised 45 20-foot containers of foreign vegetable oil, nine 40-foot containers of used clothing, and two 20-foot containers of Channy tomato paste; he reiterated that confiscating them aligned with the Federal Government’s broader economic objectives, particularly policies promoting made-in-Nigeria products.