Apapa Customs Intercepts Seven Illegally Imported Containers

Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted seven containers from entering the country having fallen short of the statutory import guidelines.

The containers which were seized on Thursday, 18 July 2024, contained the following: two 40 foot containers carrying twelve thousand (12,000) pieces of cutlass and machete; two 40 foot carrying four thousand, one hundred and twenty-nine (4,129) packages of frozen hen; one 40 foot container carrying three hundred and sixty-eight (368) jumbo bales of used second hand clothing; and one 40 foot container of expired pharmaceuticals.

The duty paid value (DPV) of these seized items stood at two hundred and ninety-two million, two hundred and forty-four thousand,eight hundred and fifty-seven naira (292,244,857.00).

In a statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Usman, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, stated that this importation violates “schedule 3 of the revised import prohibition list of the Common External Tariff (CET) and section 233 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023”.

Olomu noted that the seizures were made following a combination of intelligence and diligent enforcement in ensuring that no consignment exits Apapa Port or any terminal under the command without undergoing proper examination.

He added that as a working principle, the command will continually sustain and improve on trade facilitation and maximum revenue collection without compromising the enforcement of the country’s extant laws.

He emphasized that the command will continue to enforce the requirements for sister regulatory agencies like NAFDAC in the case of food and drugs and strict implementation of the end user certificate rules for products that require it from relevant authorities like the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

The CAC reiterated that the earlier warning issued by the CGC on the smuggling of prohibited items.

He stated that the Command will ensure only consignments that meet the integrity test of compliance will be allowed to go through the port.