Nigeria Customs seizes N273m of banned imports in Cross River crackdown

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized prohibited imports valued at N273.7 million in Cross River State, including vegetable oil, used tyres, second-hand clothing and petroleum products, as part of a renewed crackdown on smuggling and illegal trade.

The seizures were carried out by the Cross River/Calabar Free Trade Zone/Akwa Ibom Area Command along key smuggling corridors, where officers intensified surveillance and patrol operations targeting restricted goods entering the domestic market.

Speaking at a press briefing in Calabar on Wednesday, Giwa Dauda, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller said the operation was aimed at protecting local industries, safeguarding jobs and enforcing Nigeria’s import prohibition policy.

He said the most significant interception involved two 20-foot containers carrying 1,996 kegs of foreign refined vegetable oil, which were stopped along the Odukpani-Calabar Highway on June 14, 2026 during a routine patrol. The shipment, concealed in a truck, had a duty paid value of N195.5 million.

Dauda said the seizure was particularly important given the level of investment by Nigerian manufacturers in the vegetable oil segment, warning that unchecked imports could undermine domestic production and industrial growth.

“Vegetable oil is one of the products in which Nigerian manufacturers have made significant investments,” he said. “Allowing prohibited foreign products into the domestic market would weaken production capacity, discourage investment, and put thousands of jobs at risk across the agricultural and manufacturing value chains.”

He added that the intercepted items fall under the federal government’s import prohibition list designed to promote self-sufficiency, encourage local production and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base.

In addition to the vegetable oil, the command also intercepted 1,500 used tyres and 105 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing. Customs said these, alongside other seizures, brought the total duty paid value of intercepted items to N273.7 million.

The command further disclosed the interception of 800 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), noting that total petrol seizures for 2026 had risen to 5,760 litres.

Dauda said the petroleum product was disposed of in line with approved safety procedures due to its highly flammable nature.

“The product was subsequently disposed of in accordance with approved safety procedures due to its highly combustible nature,” he said.

He warned smugglers and economic saboteurs to desist from illegal importation, stressing that such activities distort market competition, weaken local industries and undermine government efforts to diversify the economy through industrialisation.

The Command said it would continue to intensify enforcement operations across identified smuggling routes in Cross River and neighbouring States as part of ongoing efforts to curb illicit trade.