Customs impound 56 contraband containers in Rivers

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Area 2 Command at Onne Port in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, has seized 56 containers laden with prohibited goods.

Briefing journalists on Tuesday at the Onne Seaport, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, stated that the impounded goods have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of Five Billion, Five Hundred and Thirty Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Five Hundred Naira (N5,530,980,500).

The CGC attributed the feat to the commitment of officers aimed at supporting the economic policies of the Federal Government.

According to him, the interceptions were made through intelligence-driven and risk-based enforcement operations designed to prevent prohibited and improperly declared consignments from entering through the seaports.

“The interceptions demonstrate the Nigeria Customs Service‘s determination to prevent individuals and businesses from abusing Nigeria’s maritime borders to evade import restrictions, make false declarations, or circumvent established trade control procedures,” the CGC said.

A breakdown of the seizures shows 45 twenty-foot containers of foreign vegetable oil, nine forty-foot containers of used clothing, and two twenty-foot containers of Channy tomato paste.

The CGC emphasized that the seizures were executed to safeguard the country’s economic interests, protect public health, and support domestic production.

Dr.Adeniyi stressed that while trade facilitation remains a fundamental responsibility of modern customs administration, enforcement operations are conducted through risk-based interventions to distinguish compliant traders from non-compliant ones.

“This approach enables the service to facilitate legitimate cargo while directing enhanced scrutiny toward high-risk consignments,” he explained.

The CGC commended Customs Area Controller Aliyu Alkali and his team for the achievements.

He assured importers that customs enforcement activities are not meant to frustrate legitimate trade, but rather to create a fair, secure, and predictable trading environment in which compliant businesses can operate lawfully.

CGC Adeniyi also used the trip to commission a health centre in Ebubu-Eleme rehabilitated by the Nigeria Customs Service Area 2 Command.

Unveiling the facility, he noted that apart from revenue generation, customs also caters to the welfare of its host communities through its Corporate Social Responsibility unit.

He urged the Ebubu community to take ownership of the project and ensure its protection.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of a traditional title to the Comptroller-General of Customs by the Ebubu Traditional Rulers Council in appreciation of the NCS’s intervention in revamping the abandoned health facility.