By Julius Peter, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 56 containers containing prohibited and improperly declared goods with a combined duty-paid value of N5.53 billion at the Port Harcourt Area II Command in Onne, Rivers State.
The seized consignments comprised vegetable oil, assorted used clothing and foreign tomato paste, which Customs said were falsely declared as machinery, plants and spare parts and imported through the Onne Free Trade Zone.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed the seizure on Tuesday during a briefing and inspection of the intercepted containers at the Onne Wharf.
According to him, the seizure followed intelligence gathering and risk-based profiling of importers operating through free trade zones, which exposed what he described as the abuse of concessions granted to operators in the zones.
The 56 containers comprised 45 containers of vegetable oil, nine 40-foot containers of used clothing and two 20-foot containers of foreign tomato paste.
Adeniyi said the 45 containers of vegetable oil contained 1,050 jerry cans each, with each can containing 25 litres. The consignment had a duty-paid value of N4.2525 billion.
The Customs chief said the remarkable aspect of the discovery was that the vegetable oil had been declared to Customs as machinery and spare parts.
He said the physical examination of the containers revealed the actual contents, raising concerns that the consignments were intended to be diverted into the Nigerian domestic market rather than being used for manufacturing activities within the free trade zone.
Adeniyi said the Federal Government established special economic zones, free zones and free trade zones to promote local production, attract investment and encourage economic activities.
He explained that operators in the zones receive various incentives and concessions, including duty-free importation of plants, raw materials and machinery, subject to applicable regulations.
However, the Comptroller-General expressed concern that some importers were allegedly exploiting the concessions by bringing prohibited or restricted goods into the country under the cover of free-zone operations.
He said the Nigeria Customs Service had, over the past few years, raised concerns over the alleged abuse of the concessions, particularly where goods imported under the privileges were subsequently diverted into the domestic market.
According to him, the latest seizure demonstrates the importance of intelligence-led enforcement and physical examination in protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s trade system.
He stressed that trade facilitation should not be used as a means of undermining local production or circumventing the country’s import regulations.
In addition to the vegetable oil, the Onne Command seized nine 40-foot containers containing assorted used clothing.
The used clothing had a combined duty-paid value of approximately N1.045 billion.
Customs also intercepted two 20-foot containers containing foreign tomato paste valued at about N232 million.
With the three categories of consignments combined, the total duty-paid value of the seized goods stood at approximately N5.53 billion.
The Service said the consignments contravened relevant provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, particularly Sections 55 and 233.
The sections provide the legal basis for Customs enforcement against certain forms of prohibited importation, false declaration and other violations of the customs regime.
Adeniyi disclosed that the Service had commenced legal processes concerning the seized consignments.
He said the relevant authorities would pursue court processes for condemnation and final forfeiture of the goods, while importers, agents and other parties found culpable would face prosecution in accordance with the law.
The Customs boss also announced plans for a comprehensive audit of containers transferred to the Tinapa Free Trade Zone.
He said further transfers would be suspended pending proper accounting and verification of previous transfers.
The development underscores the Service’s renewed focus on monitoring the movement of goods through free trade zones and ensuring that concessions granted for legitimate economic activities are not abused.
The latest seizure also highlights the growing role of intelligence gathering and risk-based analysis in Customs enforcement.
Rather than relying exclusively on routine physical examination, the Service said it used intelligence and importer profiling to identify consignments considered to carry a higher risk of non-compliance.
Adeniyi said the process enabled officers to identify discrepancies between the declarations made by importers and the actual contents of the containers.
The discovery of vegetable oil in containers declared as machinery and spare parts was particularly significant because such false declarations could undermine revenue collection, import-control measures and the competitiveness of legitimate domestic producers.
The Customs Service has continued to emphasise the need for importers and customs agents to provide accurate declarations and comply with the country’s trade laws.
The seizure comes against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s efforts to promote domestic manufacturing and reduce practices that could undermine local industries.
Customs officials said the concessions provided to free-zone operators are designed to facilitate investment and production rather than provide a channel for the unrestricted importation and distribution of prohibited goods in the domestic market.
The Service therefore warned that businesses benefiting from government concessions must comply with the conditions attached to those incentives.
The NCS said its enforcement activities would continue to target attempts to exploit the country’s customs and free-zone systems while legitimate traders would continue to receive support through trade facilitation measures.
The Customs Service’s latest action at Onne is expected to intensify scrutiny of cargoes moving through free trade zones as authorities seek to strengthen compliance, protect government revenue and safeguard the domestic market.
The 56 seized containers remain subject to the relevant legal and investigative processes, with Customs expected to provide further updates as the cases progress.
