Customs seizes N273.7m smuggled goods, 1,996 kegs of imported vegetable oil

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified efforts to protect local manufacturers and preserve jobs with the seizure of prohibited imported goods valued at over N273 million in Cross River State.

Speaking during a press briefing in Calabar on Wednesday, the Customs Area Controller of the Cross River/Calabar Free Trade Zone/Akwa Ibom Area Command, Comptroller Giwa Dauda, said the interceptions formed part of the Service’s ongoing campaign against smuggling and illegal importation.

Dauda disclosed that Customs operatives intercepted two 20-foot containers laden with 1,996 kegs of foreign refined vegetable oil along the Odukpani–Calabar Highway on 14 June 2026. He said the products, concealed in a truck, were discovered during a routine patrol operation and had a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N195.5 million.

According to him, the vegetable oil industry has attracted significant investment from Nigerian manufacturers, warning that the influx of prohibited foreign products into the domestic market could undermine local production, discourage investment and threaten thousands of jobs across the agricultural and manufacturing value chains.

“These products are listed under the Federal Government’s import prohibition policy, which seeks to stimulate local production, promote self-sufficiency and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base,” he said.

The Area Controller further revealed that the Command intercepted 1,500 used tyres and 105 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing. Combined with other seizures, the total Duty Paid Value of the confiscated items stood at N273.7 million.

Dauda also disclosed that officers seized 800 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), bringing the total volume of petrol intercepted by the Command in 2026 to 5,760 litres. He noted that the product was disposed of in line with approved safety procedures because of its highly combustible nature.

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