CUSTOMS SEIZES 56 CONTAINERS OF CONTRABAND GOODS IN RIVERS
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By: Fasasi Hammad
The Port Harcourt Area II Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Onne, Rivers State, has intercepted 56 containers containing contraband goods illegally imported into the country through the port.
The seized consignments, comprising vegetable oil, tomatoes and used clothing, have a combined duty-paid value of N5.53 billion.
The goods were allegedly concealed under declarations of machinery and spare parts and imported through the Onne Free Trade Zone.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed the seizure during a news briefing in Onne on Tuesday.
Adeniyi said the seizure followed intelligence gathering and risk-based analysis that uncovered the abuse of concessions granted to operators in free trade zones.
According to him, the Federal Government established free trade and economic zones to encourage local production, with incentives including duty-free importation of plants, raw materials and machinery.
However, he said some importers had been exploiting the concessions by bringing prohibited goods into the country under the guise of operating within free trade zones and subsequently diverting them to the domestic market.
He disclosed that 45 containers of Delicious Pur vegetable oil, each containing 1,050 jerry cans of 25 litres, were among the seized consignments. The containers had a duty-paid value of N4.25 billion.
The Customs boss added that nine 40-foot containers of used clothing, valued at N1.045 billion, were also seized, alongside two 20-foot containers of foreign tomato paste with a duty-paid value of N232 million.
He said the vegetable oil and used clothing were seized for allegedly contravening Sections 55 and 233 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
Adeniyi assured that the owners of the seized goods would be prosecuted after investigations in line with relevant import laws.
He said the operation was aimed at protecting Nigeria’s economic interests, public health and domestic producers, while ensuring compliance with import regulations and preventing revenue losses.
The Comptroller-General commended officers of the Port Harcourt Area II Command for their vigilance and urged them to sustain their efforts in detecting illicit imports.
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