Bonded Terminals Clampdown: Orioye Applauds Adeniyi, Says Action Will Protect Economy

A maritime expert and media professional, Otunba Olufemi Orioye, has commended the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Dr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, for the Service’s renewed clampdown on bonded terminals, Customs warehouses and Free Trade Zones with unresolved cargo transactions.

Orioye described the action as a necessary measure to strengthen cargo accountability, protect government revenue, safeguard legitimate businesses, and curb the movement of prohibited and restricted goods into the country.

He said the NCS directive suspending further transire processing for 103 bonded terminals, warehouses and Free Trade Zones with outstanding transactions sends a clear message that Customs-controlled cargo must remain traceable and properly accounted for until all statutory requirements are fulfilled.

According to him, bonded terminals play an important role in facilitating legitimate trade, but the privileges granted to their operators must be matched by strict compliance and accountability.

Orioye said the clampdown would also help block channels exploited by smugglers, noting that gaps in the movement of cargo from ports to bonded facilities and eventually into the domestic market could be exploited by criminal networks.

He cited the recent interception of 56 containers of prohibited goods at the Port Harcourt II Area Command, Onne, with a reported duty-paid value of about ₦5.53 billion, as evidence of the need for stronger cargo monitoring.

The maritime expert said effective custom enforcement would protect Nigerian manufacturers and farmers from unfair competition, boost government revenue, and strengthen consumer protection by limiting the entry of dangerous, counterfeit, and unregistered products.

He, however, urged the NCS to make technology, digital cargo tracking and automated reconciliation central to its enforcement strategy, stressing that Customs should be able to monitor cargo from the point of arrival to its final authorised destination.

Orioye also welcomed the restoration of operating privileges to bonded facilities that successfully completed reconciliation, saying compliant operators should be protected from unnecessary disruption while deliberate violations should attract appropriate sanctions.

He called for deeper collaboration between Customs and agencies such as NAFDAC, NDLEA, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other security agencies, particularly in tackling sensitive cargo involving pharmaceuticals, narcotics, food products and other prohibited items.

According to him, the ultimate objective should not be seizures alone, but the disruption of the networks behind smuggling and the establishment of a transparent, technology-driven, and accountable cargo-control system.

Orioye commended Adeniyi and officers of the NCS for what he described as their renewed determination to protect Nigeria’s economic interests, urging the Service to sustain the enforcement while ensuring that legitimate trade continues to receive efficient facilitation.

He said securing Nigeria’s ports, bonded terminals, and other Customs-controlled facilities was ultimately about protecting the nation’s economy, businesses, and consumers.