The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 56 containers containing prohibited goods worth about N5.53bn at the Port Harcourt Area II Command in Onne, Rivers State.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Tuesday during a briefing and inspection of the seized consignments at the Onne Wharf.
The containers were said to contain vegetable oil, used clothing and foreign tomato paste, which Customs officials alleged had been brought into the country through the Onne Free Trade Zone under false declarations.
According to Adeniyi, some importers were exploiting the concessions granted to businesses operating in free trade zones by declaring restricted goods as machinery and spare parts.
He said intelligence gathering and risk-based analysis conducted by the service led to the discovery of the consignments.
Adeniyi said, “What we have discovered through our intelligence and our risk-based analysis is that so many importers have started to abuse the free zone concessions.”
He disclosed that 45 containers containing Delicious Pur vegetable oil were among the seized goods. Each container reportedly held 1,050 jerry cans of 25 litres, with a combined duty-paid value of N4.25bn.
The Customs boss said the consignments had been declared as machinery and spare parts but physical inspection revealed that they contained vegetable oil.
He said the circumstances suggested that the goods were intended for the domestic market rather than for manufacturing activities within a free trade zone.
Customs also seized nine 40-foot containers of used clothing valued at N1.045bn and two 20-foot containers containing foreign tomato paste with a duty-paid value of N232m.
Adeniyi said the affected consignments were seized for allegedly violating provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
He said the owners of the goods would face prosecution after the completion of investigations.
According to him, the operation was aimed at protecting government revenue, supporting local producers and preventing the circulation of goods that could pose economic or public health concerns.
“What we have done in the interception of these containers is aimed at safeguarding Nigeria’s economic interests, protecting public health, supporting domestic production and ensuring compliance with the country’s import laws and regulations,” Adeniyi said.
He warned that false declarations and the illegal importation of restricted goods could undermine local manufacturers and farmers by exposing them to unfair competition.
Adeniyi further criticised the abuse of incentives provided to free trade zones, explaining that the concessions were introduced primarily to encourage investment, manufacturing and export activities.
He commended Customs officers involved in the interception and urged them to maintain vigilance in detecting attempts to circumvent the country’s import regulations.
Customs Renovates Rivers Health Centre
Meanwhile, Adeniyi inaugurated the reconstructed Ebubu Health Centre in the Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The health facility was renovated by the Port Harcourt Area II Command under the Customs Service’s corporate social responsibility programme.
Adeniyi said the intervention was part of the service’s Customs Care initiative, which supports projects in host communities, including healthcare and education.
He urged residents of Ebubu to protect the facility and ensure it remains available to serve the community.
The Area II Controller, Aliyu Alkali, said the health centre had previously been abandoned and its equipment allegedly looted before the Customs intervention.
He said the renovation would improve access to healthcare for residents of the community.
The Director of Medical Services, Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Dr Tonye Lawson-Jack, thanked the Customs Service for the intervention and assured residents that adequate personnel would be provided to operate the facility.
