Nigeria Customs Service Seals Three port terminals, Seizes 27 Containers In Major Crackdown

• The Nigeria Customs Service has intensified operations against smuggling and other illegal activities in the ports
• In recent operations, three port terminals have been shut down indefinitely and investigations are ongoing
• The Apapa Command of the NCS has also released a full list of items seized from the terminals during the operations

Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon, a journalist with Legit.ng, has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.

The Apapa command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the sealing of three bonded terminals in Apapa.

The terminals were sealed over various infractions, and according to the Customs Area Comptroller of the Apapa Command, Babatunde Olomu, one of the terminals is already locked in a legal battle, while investigations are ongoing with the other two terminals.

Olomu said at a media briefing on Thursday that the command has intensified operations to curb illegal activities across all port terminals and borders.

He added that the eagle-eyed officers on the command are on the lookout to stop criminal activities across the terminals.

Apapa Command collects N1.37 billion in revenue in H1, 2025

The CAC also announced that the Apapa Command has raked in N1.37 billion in revenues between January to June 2025.

This inflow from trade facilitation becomes a part of the government revenue, providing the much-needed funding for critical projects.

Olomu thanked the other agencies that supported the NCS through consultations and intelligence sharing.

He also vowed that the command would go all out to implement the Comptroller-General’s directives and maximise revenue collection, plug leakages, and issue Demand Notices (DN) where necessary.

Apapa Customs Command confirms seizures made in H1

CAC Olomu also disclosed that within the first half of 2024, the command intercepted 27 containers with a duty-paid value (DPV) of N9.2 billion, The Cable news reports.

The seized items include:

• 10 containers of unregistered pharmaceuticals;
• 4 containers of second-hand clothing;
• 2 containers of codeine syrup
• 2 containers of stolen vehicles
• Expired margarine
• Wild animal skins
• 1 container of matches imported without the required end-user certificate (EUC)

He assured that the NCS would not compromise the well-being of Nigerians and that goods would not be allowed past the ports without diligent checks, scanning, and examination.

Commenting on the seized containers of wild animal skin, Olomu said they violated the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which Nigeria is a signatory.

Port terminal records surge in exports

Meanwhile, export volumes in Nigerian port terminals are still increasing. The APM Terminals Apapa, announced that it recorded a surge in the monthly export cargoes in April 2025.

In the month, the terminal handled 8,687 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of export cargo, representing a 30% increase from the 6,606 TEUs recorded in April 2024.

A statement released by the APM terminal on Sunday, May 11, 2025, confirmed that this is the highest figure recorded in a single month since its inception in 2006.

Note that Nigeria has also received the first direct container from China, earlier in 2025.

Nigeria Customs Service takes action on seized arms

Legit.ng reported that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over 1,599 assorted arms and 2,298 live cartridges to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).

The arms, seized in three containers at the Tin Can Island Port, were officially handed over to the NCCSALW on Thursday, February 13, 2025, at the headquarters of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone 'A', Ikeja, Lagos state.

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, stated that the handover ceremony demonstrates the NCS’ commitment to protecting national borders and maintaining public safety.

Source: Legit.ng