Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Nigeria Customs Service has seized 56 containers laden with contraband goods worth a combined duty-paid value of N5.53 billion at the Onne Port in Rivers State, exposing what officials describe as a flagrant abuse of free trade zone concessions by importers seeking to flood the local market with restricted products.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed the seizure on Tuesday during a news briefing at Onne, where he inspected the detained consignments at the Onne Wharf. The seized goods comprised 45 containers of foreign vegetable oil, nine 40-foot containers of used clothing, and two 20-foot containers of foreign tomato paste. Adeniyi said the consignments were falsely declared as machinery, plants and spare parts by importers who allegedly intended to divert them into the Nigerian market rather than take them to free trade zones for legitimate manufacturing activities.
According to the Customs boss, the 45 containers of "Delicious Pur" brand vegetable oil, each containing 1,050 jerry cans of 25 litres, had a duty-paid value of N4,252,500,000. The nine containers of used clothing were valued at N1,045,580,000, while the two containers of foreign tomato paste were worth N232,000,000, bringing the total to N5,530,080,000. "The remarkable thing about these containers is that they were declared as machinery and spare parts. When we discovered them during physical examination, we found vegetable oil, and it is obvious that the intention of the importer was not to take them to free trade zones for any manufacturing activities, but to introduce them into our local markets," Adeniyi said.
The seizure followed an intelligence-driven and risk-based review of operations involving cargoes destined for free trade zones across the country. Adeniyi explained that the Federal Government established special economic and free trade zones to encourage local production and exports, granting operators incentives including duty-free importation of plants, raw materials and machinery. In some cases, operators are even allowed to import goods under prohibition. However, the Customs chief said these concessions had increasingly been abused by importers who use the zones as a cover to bring restricted goods into the country for sale in the domestic market.
"We have come to undertake a review of our operations to ensure that our quest to facilitate trade is not exploited to inflict damage to the local economy," Adeniyi said. "As we facilitate trade and ensure prompt clearance of imported goods through our ports, we must also ensure that local producers of the same products get justice."
The Customs boss revealed that the service had previously intercepted two 40-foot containers of vegetable oil destined for the Calabar Free Trade Zone but arrested in the process of being diverted. Records also showed that about 40 other containers of vegetable oil had earlier been taken into the Calabar Free Trade Zone, with Customs suspecting they never reached their intended destination. "We are going to be asking questions, not just from the authorities of the Free Trade Zone, but also from Nigeria Customs Service. What happened to those 40 containers? Where are the customs documents that were used to process these containers?" Adeniyi said.
The seized goods were said to have contravened Sections 55 and 233 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023. Adeniyi said the owners of the consignments would be prosecuted after investigations, and directed the service's legal unit to initiate court processes leading to condemnation and final forfeiture. "All those involved, whether importers, agents, shipping companies, I have directed our legal unit to initiate their prosecution," he said. The Customs CG also announced the suspension of further transfers of containers to the Tinapa Free Trade Zone until all transferred containers are properly accounted for.
The seizure underscores the economic stakes involved. Adeniyi warned that unchecked importation of products that could be produced or processed 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 across domestic value chains. "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 chief stressed that enforcement was not designed to frustrate legitimate businesses but to ensure a fair, secure and predictable trading environment.
The operation was led by the Port Harcourt Area II Command under the leadership of Comptroller Aliyu Alkali. Adeniyi commended the officers for their vigilance and urged them to sustain the tempo. "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," he said.
Meanwhile, Adeniyi inaugurated the reconstructed Ebubu Health Centre in Ebubu, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State. The facility was renovated by the Port Harcourt Area II Command under its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, part of the Customs Care initiative through which the service has supported healthcare, education and other community development projects across the country. The Director of Medical Services at the Rivers State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Dr Tonye Lawson-Jack, thanked the Customs Service for the intervention and assured residents that adequate medical personnel would be provided to operate the centre.
The Onne seizure is the latest in a series of enforcement actions targeting the abuse of free trade zone concessions. Less than a month ago, the Cross River and Akwa Ibom commands intercepted two containers of vegetable oil destined for the Calabar Free Trade Zone that were being diverted. The Customs Service has also intensified scrutiny of cargo destined for special economic zones, with Adeniyi warning importers to establish the admissibility of their intended imports before commencing transactions and to make accurate declarations concerning the description, quantity, value, origin and classification of goods. As investigations continue, the case is expected to test the Customs Service's resolve to protect local industries and plug revenue leakages in a challenging economic environment.
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