Customs Intercepts 56 Containers Of Prohibited Goods Worth N5.53bn At Onne Port

The Nigeria Customs Service has seized 56 containers laden with prohibited and improperly declared goods with a total duty-paid value of N5.53 billion at the Port Harcourt II Area Command, Onne, Rivers State.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, during a briefing with journalists at the command in Onne.

Adeniyi stated that the interception followed intelligence-driven and risk-based operations aimed at preventing prohibited, restricted and improperly declared consignments from entering the Nigerian market.

He said 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.

The vegetable oil containers, each holding 1,050 jerry cans of 25 litres, had a duty-paid value of N4.25 billion. The used clothing was valued at N1.045 billion, while the tomato paste was worth N232 million.

Adeniyi revealed that the goods were falsely declared as machinery and spare parts and were imported through the Onne Free Trade Zone, exposing what he described as an abuse of concessions granted to free zone operators.

“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,” Adeniyi said.

He explained that unchecked importation of products that could be produced 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.

“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 stated.

The Customs boss stressed that enforcement was not intended to frustrate legitimate businesses but to ensure a fair, secure and predictable trading environment for compliant operators.

“The Service’s risk-based approach enabled it to facilitate legitimate cargo while directing enhanced scrutiny towards consignments considered high-risk,” he added.

Adeniyi said the vegetable oil and used clothing were seized for contravening Sections 55 and 233 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023. He assured that owners of the seized consignments would be prosecuted after investigations.

He also recalled that the Cross River/Akwa Ibom Command had recently seized two 40-foot containers of vegetable oil destined for the Calabar Free Trade Zone after they were diverted, noting that about 40 other containers of vegetable oil had earlier been taken into the zone.

“We will undertake a comprehensive audit of all containers whose customs processes were suspended and moved to Tinapa Free Trade Zone. Until all transferred containers are properly accounted for, no further transfer of containers to Tinapa Free Trade Zone will be allowed,” he said.

Adeniyi commended the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Aliyu Alkali, and officers of the Port Harcourt II Area Command for the interceptions.

He urged importers and stakeholders to establish the admissibility of intended imports before commencing transactions and to make accurate declarations regarding the description, quantity, value, origin and classification of goods.