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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has vowed to intensify enforcement against prohibited imports, false declarations, and other trade practices capable of undermining Nigerian farmers, manufacturers, and domestic businesses.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stated this while disclosing the seizure of 56 containers of prohibited goods with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N5.53 billion at the Port Harcourt II Area Command, Onne, Rivers State.
Adeniyi said the interceptions were the outcome of intelligence-driven and risk-based operations designed to prevent prohibited, restricted and improperly declared consignments from entering the Nigerian market.
He said the continued influx of goods that could be produced or processed locally could weaken domestic production by exposing Nigerian businesses to unfair competition, reducing demand for locally made products and discouraging investment across domestic value chains.
“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.
According to him, the impact of unchecked imports was particularly significant in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, where local producers were already expected to compete while dealing with production and operating costs.
“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 said.
The Customs boss stressed that the Service’s enforcement activities were not intended to frustrate legitimate businesses but to create what he described as a fair, secure and predictable trading environment for compliant operators.
He said Customs was adopting a risk-based approach that allows legitimate cargo to move while subjecting high-risk consignments to enhanced scrutiny.
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“The Service’s risk-based approach enabled it to facilitate legitimate cargo while directing enhanced scrutiny towards consignments considered high-risk,” he said.
The seized consignments, according to Adeniyi, 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.
He said the seizure of the goods was consistent with the Federal Government’s broader economic objectives, particularly policies aimed at promoting domestic production and encouraging the consumption of made-in-Nigeria products.
Adeniyi commended the Customs Area Controller, Port Harcourt II Area Command, Comptroller Aliyu Alkali, and officers of the command for the interceptions.
He urged importers and other stakeholders to ascertain the admissibility of goods before entering into import transactions and ensure that all declarations accurately reflect the description, quantity, value, origin and classification of their consignments.
The Comptroller-General warned that importers who deliberately circumvent existing regulations risk having their consignments intercepted and subjected to enforcement action.
He reiterated that the NCS would continue to deploy intelligence, risk assessment and targeted examination to prevent prohibited and improperly declared goods from entering the country while facilitating legitimate trade.
The latest seizures, he added, underscored the Service’s role not only in revenue collection but also in supporting economic policies, protecting domestic production, and safeguarding legitimate businesses from unfair competition.
