Customs Seizes 56 Containers of Prohibited Imports, Moves to Protect Local Production
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Nigerian farmers, manufacturers and businesses from prohibited imports and other practices capable of undermining local production and job creation.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, while announcing the interception of 56 containers of prohibited goods with a total duty-paid value of N5.53 billion at the Port Harcourt II Area Command, Onne, Rivers State.
According to Adeniyi, the seizures were part of intelligence-driven and risk-based operations aimed at preventing prohibited, restricted and improperly declared consignments from entering the Nigerian market.
He said unchecked importation of goods that could be produced or processed locally exposes Nigerian farmers and manufacturers to unfair competition, weakens demand for locally made products and discourages investment across domestic value chains.
The Customs boss noted that the impact was particularly significant in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, stressing that large-scale importation of products that Nigeria can produce or process could undermine efforts to strengthen food security, create jobs and diversify the economy.
Adeniyi, however, stressed that Customs enforcement was not intended to frustrate legitimate businesses, but to ensure a fair, secure and predictable trading environment for compliant businesses, while directing enhanced scrutiny towards high-risk consignments.
The seized 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 Comptroller-General commended the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Aliyu Alkali, and officers of the Port Harcourt II Area Command for the interceptions, while advising importers to verify the admissibility of their intended imports and ensure accurate declarations of the description, quantity, value, origin and classification of goods.
