The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port Harcourt II Area Command, has intercepted 56 containers containing prohibited goods with a total duty-paid value of N5.53 billion.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Tuesday while showcasing the seized consignments to journalists at the command in Onne, Rivers State.
According to Adeniyi, the intercepted goods 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 seizures were the result of intelligence-driven and risk-based operations targeted at preventing prohibited, restricted and improperly declared goods from entering the Nigerian market.
Adeniyi said the enforcement was part of the Federal Government’s efforts to protect Nigerian farmers, manufacturers and businesses from unfair competition caused by prohibited imports and false declarations.
He noted that unchecked importation of goods that could be produced or processed locally could weaken demand for domestic products, discourage investment and place additional pressure on local producers.
According to him, the impact is particularly significant in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, where increased imports could undermine efforts to strengthen food security, create jobs and diversify the Nigerian economy.
The Customs boss stressed that the service’s enforcement activities were not intended to frustrate legitimate businesses, but to ensure a fair and predictable trading environment for compliant importers.
He commended the Customs Area Controller, Aliyu Alkali, and officers of the Port Harcourt II Area Command for the interceptions.
Adeniyi urged importers and other stakeholders to verify the admissibility of their intended imports before commencing transactions and ensure that declarations on the description, quantity, value, origin and classification of goods are accurate.
