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By Tracy Moses
The Association of Licensed Auctioneers of Nigeria (ALAN) has accused the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of engaging in large-scale impunity and violating extant laws in the disposal of seized goods and containers across the country.
President of the association, Musa Kurra, raised the alarm, accusing Customs officers of blatant disregard for due process and statutory provisions. He alleged that seized items were being allocated directly to politically connected companies and individuals in violation of established laws.
Kurra’s outcry follows the emergence of leaked internal documents exposing the direct allocation and sale of impounded containers to selected private firms by the NCS under questionable circumstances.
The documents, titled “Direct Auction Allocation of Containers,” were signed by H.H. Hadison, a Comptroller in charge of Special Duties, between April and July 2025, under the seal of the Nigeria Customs Service Committee on Direct Disposal of General Goods.
According to the documents, several 40-foot containers containing vehicles, prefabricated houses, tiles, hospital equipment, and assorted goods were allocated to private companies at fees ranging from ₦1 million to ₦2 million each.
A review of at least five separate allocation letters revealed a recurring manual approval process, all bearing the same signature and “RESTRICTED” watermark, indicating a pattern of insider involvement.
In one of the letters, dated 31 July 2025, a firm with the code MSMU8098517 was granted access to four containers holding luxury vehicles, including Lexus RX330s, Lexus ES330s, and a Toyota Highlander, stationed at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, all reportedly auctioned at a combined fee of ₦2 million.
Another document, dated 15 June 2025, approved the disposal of a container marked TCKU0400440, described as a “prefabricated house,” for ₦2 million, while similar allocations of containers filled with construction slabs, used hospital equipment, cartons of drinks, Versace bond cement, and tiles were made in April and May 2025 under the same fee conditions.
The approval letters instructed beneficiaries to make payment within five working days and evacuate the goods within 10 working days, with a warning that failure to do so would result in forfeiture.
A section of one letter read:
“The Comptroller-General of Customs has allocated the listed containers to your company in line with the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, Section 119, via direct auction sale. The containers shall be released upon evidence of payment of the auction fee, VAT, and other charges within the stipulated time.”
However, Kurra faulted the entire process, saying the uniform pricing of ₦2 million per container suggested a pre-determined arrangement inconsistent with standard valuation procedures used in legitimate auctions.
“The impunity with which the Service now operates is unimaginable,” he lamented. “There’s no respect for the law anymore.”
He explained that the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), by law, the regulatory body overseeing procurement and auction matters — ought to be involved in every public asset disposal, as auctions fall within its purview.
“The BPP Act, enacted by the National Assembly, mandates that all forms of procurement, including auctions, be subjected to oversight to prevent abuse. Customs cannot operate outside this framework,” he stated.
Kurra also cited provisions of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022 (POCA), which, he noted, clearly stipulate how confiscated or forfeited assets should be handled and disposed of by law enforcement agencies.
“Under the POCA Act, all seized assets must be sold through transparent public processes supervised by relevant authorities. The Act prohibits direct allocations or sales to individuals or organisations. Violations attract criminal sanctions,” he said.
According to him, the so-called “direct auction allocations” being executed by the Customs Service have no legal basis.
“There’s no law in this country that gives Customs the right to carry out such private allocations,” Kurra declared. “When an agency becomes the seizing authority, the valuer, and the auctioneer, it becomes both judge and beneficiary of its own actions, that’s lawlessness.”
He further alleged that certain officers within the Service were enriching themselves through fraudulent sales of seized items.
“We have cases where Customs allocated 380 vehicles to one company for ₦3.8 million, that’s ₦10,000 per vehicle. These included Prados, Hiluxes, and Benzes. This is outright robbery,” Kurra alleged.
He added that another instance involved 53 vehicles sold for ₦530,000, translating to the same ₦10,000-per-car pattern.
“Even a bicycle doesn’t sell for ₦10,000 these days,” he said. “Investigations showed that most of these beneficiary companies belong to Customs officers and their relatives.”
Kurra urged the Federal Government to urgently intervene and halt the trend, warning that unchecked corruption in Customs’ auction processes was bleeding Nigeria of vital revenue.
“The President needs revenue to run the country. But rather than remit what belongs to the nation, some individuals are diverting it into private pockets,” he lamented.
He called for a full-scale probe into Customs’ asset disposal practices and strict enforcement of laws guiding public auctions.
“Customs should not be allowed to seize, value, and auction items all by themselves. There must be checks and balances. The time has come to restore sanity and accountability,” Kurra concluded.