Customs
Customs grants over N1.4trn duty waivers in three years
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has granted over N1.4trillion as waivers on imported goods in the last three years.
Import duty waivers, concessions, and exemptions are used by governments across the globe to protect local industries, boost the economy and create jobs but they have typically been abused in the country and have become a conduit pipe to syphon public funds.
Between January 2019 and December last year, the sum of N992.9 billion was granted as waivers by the Customs.
Over N400 billion, sources at the Customs Headquarters said, has been granted as waivers by the Service between January and October this year.
The source urged the Senate to amend the Customs And Excise Management Act (CEMA), noting that the amendment will take care of under-declaration, which he said, was introduced by some officials of the government to circumvent duty payments with some importers.
The NSC official said the amendment would create a very decent and respected Customs Service outfit devoid of suspicion and unnecessary invasion of their statutory job by some politicians.
“Over 35 percent of the total tax relief on imported goods is the relief granted on import duties, the Common External Tariff Levy accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the tax relief, 23 per cent of the tax relief is granted on VAT.”
The Service, it was further learnt, also recorded about 5,000 seizures between the first 10 months of this year.
The N1.4 trillion, it was gathered, includes the over N400 billion recorded between January and October this year, the N213.1b recorded in 2019 and N779.7b waived last year.
Data from the 2022-2024 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper revealed the figures in 2019 and that of last year.
A member of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr Kayode Farinto said, while import duty waivers are used by the leaders of other countries to protect the economic base of their countries, mostly, in protecting local industries, creating jobs, and promoting exports, the reverse is the case in Nigeria.
”Apart from abusing the waivers, there is nothing specifically to show for it in the last 20 years”, he declared.
A breakdown of the waivers granted in 2019 showed that exemptions on import charges stood at N127.7 billion; surcharge, which consists of seven percent import duty, was N8.6 billion; and Common External Tariff Levy, N4.6 billion; Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme, N2.6 billion; while exemptions under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Trade Liberalisation Scheme was N4.8 billion.
Other customs exemptions recorded within the year are Iron Levy, N393.2 million; National Automotive Council Levy N233.6 million and import Value Added Tax (VAT) which stood at N64.4 billion.
For last year, reliefs granted were estimated at N780 billion, comprising N600 billion from waivers of import duties and N180 billion from VAT on import duties.
An importer, Mr Segun Adetula, said MDAs are an integral part of the Nigerian economy and therefore should be subjected to the same rules that apply to other economic players, otherwise, they could become a major source of distortions in the economy.
He said a discriminatory or selective import duty might create incentives for imports by the MDAs to the detriment of locally produced goods, adding that import duty waiver or tariff concession should be targeted at sectors or products that are strategic from an economic, social, or security perspective
The National President, Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics in Nigeria (APFFLON), Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, said there was nothing special with the MDAs flouting of the waivers, noting that the shipping companies flouted government directives on rent waivers for importers even during COVID-19.
Customs
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Customs
Customs Zone ‘C’ Intercepts Smuggled Vegetable Oil Worth N403.5 Million
Funso OLOJO, Editor
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘C’, Owerri, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded a major anti-smuggling success with the interception of a large consignment of smuggled foreign vegetable oil valued at over N403.5 million.
The seizure followed strategic intelligence gathering and coordinated operations by officers of the Unit, leading to the interception of two trailers conveying the prohibited products.
Items seized include:
3,310 jerry cans (25-litre kegs) of Super Delicious vegetable oil;
10 jerry cans (10-litre kegs) of Super Delicious vegetable oil;
20 cartons of 5-litre sunflower vegetable oil; and
20 cartons of 3-litre sunflower vegetable oil.
According to the Unit, operatives intercepted one of the trucks carrying the consignment at about 10:00 p.m. on May 9, 2026, along the Ninth Mile axis of Enugu State, while the second truck was intercepted on June 7, 2026, along the Onitsha–Agbor Highway, following credible intelligence.
The Command disclosed that the seized goods have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N403,491,000.
Speaking on the seizure, the Controller of FOU Zone ‘C’, Bashir Balogun, described the operation as a significant blow to economic saboteurs whose activities undermine local industries and the nation’s economy.
He noted that the illegal importation of foreign vegetable oil negatively affects domestic production, technology transfer, job creation, and foreign exchange earnings.
Balogun emphasized that the operation demonstrates the Service’s unwavering commitment to enforcing the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2022 and the Federal Government’s fiscal and protective policies prohibiting the importation of foreign vegetable oil.
He warned individuals and syndicates involved in smuggling to desist from such activities, stressing that the Nigeria Customs Service would continue to deploy intelligence-driven enforcement strategies to safeguard public health, national security, and the domestic economy.
The seized vegetable oil remains in the custody of the Service while investigations into the smuggling network continue.
Customs
Zone A Customs leads onslaught against wildlife smuggling syndicate, intercepts Elephant tusks, arrests four suspects
Funso OLOJO, Editor
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has successfully dismantled a wildlife trafficking syndicate through a joint operation conducted with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC).
The intelligence-led operation resulted in the interception of 22 pieces of elephant tusks weighing a total of 130.84 kilograms, the arrest of four male suspects, and the seizure of the vehicle used for conveying the illicit cargo.
According to a statement issued by the Customs Zone A Command, the operation was made possible through extensive intelligence gathering, surveillance, and investigations into an organized wildlife trafficking network operating within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.
The operation was coordinated by the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, and the SIS A Team of the Customs Intelligence Unit, with support from NESREA and the WJC.
The seizure was effected at about 4:30 p.m. on June 13, 2026, in Ofada, Mowe, Ogun State, while the suspects were simultaneously apprehended at various locations in Lagos.
Customs disclosed that the seized elephant tusks have an estimated black-market value in Asia of N126.39 million.
The recovered wildlife specimens and the suspects remain in custody pending the conclusion of investigations and subsequent prosecution.
Speaking on the development, the Controller of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Comptroller Gambo Aliyu, described the seizure as a clear demonstration of the unit’s commitment to enforcing national and international wildlife protection laws.
He noted that the operation was in line with Nigeria’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which the country is a signatory.
He further cited Section 55(1)(i) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, which prohibits the illegal trade in endangered species.
“This seizure underscores our ongoing efforts to combat illegal wildlife trafficking and protect biodiversity,” Comptroller Aliyu stated.
The Customs chief commended NESREA and the Wildlife Justice Commission for their invaluable support, noting that the success of the operation was a testament to effective inter-agency collaboration.
He urged the agencies to sustain the momentum in combating criminal networks that exploit Nigeria as a transit route for wildlife trafficking and other transnational crimes.
Comptroller Aliyu also appealed to members of the public to support the Nigeria Customs Service by reporting suspicious shipments, activities, or individuals linked to wildlife trafficking.
He assured that the Service would continue to take decisive enforcement actions against anyone found violating wildlife protection laws.
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