The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized prohibited imports worth N273.7m in Cross River State, in what officials described as part of efforts to protect local manufacturers from unfair competition and curb smuggling activities.
Among the items intercepted were 1,996 kegs of foreign refined vegetable oil, a product listed under the Federal Government’s import prohibition policy aimed at encouraging domestic production and reducing dependence on foreign goods.
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 products, with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N195.5 million, were concealed in a truck intercepted during a routine patrol operation.”
Dauda said officers intercepted two 20-foot containers conveying the vegetable oil along the Odukpani-Calabar Highway on June 14.
The seizure comes amid concerns over the impact of smuggling on local industries, particularly sectors where manufacturers have invested heavily in domestic production.
According to Dauda, unrestricted entry of prohibited products into the Nigerian market could undermine local investments, weaken production capacity and affect jobs across manufacturing and agricultural value chains.
Dauda said vegetable oil remains one of the sectors in which Nigerian investors have committed significant resources, warning that smuggling could reverse gains made by local producers.
“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 stated.
Beyond the vegetable oil, the Command also seized “1,500 used tyres and 105 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing during separate operations”.
Dauda said the additional seizures contributed to the total “Duty Paid Value of N273.7m” recorded from prohibited imports intercepted by the Command.
He also disclosed that it intercepted “800 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), bringing the total volume of petrol seized within the Command’s area of responsibility in 2026 to 5,760 litres.”
“The product was subsequently disposed of in accordance with approved safety procedures due to its highly combustible nature,” Dauda said.
He warned smugglers to desist from illegal importation activities, saying such practices distort market competition and undermine government efforts to deepen industrialisation and diversify the economy.
Dauda maintained that the Service would continue surveillance and enforcement operations across the region to prevent prohibited goods from entering the domestic market.
(The Whistler)
