Customs clears ICNL Kano, Kaduna Dry Port, 15 others after transit reconciliation
Maureen Aguta
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has cleared Inland Containers Nigeria Limited (ICNL) Kano and its Kaduna Inland Dry Port (KIDP), alongside 15 other bonded terminals, warehouses and Free Trade Zone (FTZ) enterprises, following a verification and reconciliation exercise by the Comptroller-General’s Special Task Force on Transits (CGC-STFT).
The facilities were listed as “Reconciled” in a Customs circular dated September 25, 2026, referenced NCS/ENF/STFT/ABJ/HQ/VOL.1/NO.21 and signed by the Deputy Comptroller and National Coordinator of the CGC-STFT, TS Sanusi.
ICNL Kano and ICNL Kaduna, also known as the Kaduna Inland Dry Port, appear as items eight and nine on the official annex, with both facilities carrying the remark “Reconciled.”
Other operators listed include
Dangwauro Container Terminal, Kano; enterprises within the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone; Enugu Industrial Park; AHL Energy FTZ; SPFL Base, Akwa Ibom; and several private bonded operators.
The development confirms that ICNL’s Kano and Kaduna facilities have completed the Customs verification process and had their relevant transit positions reconciled.
It also provides clarification against earlier circulating lists or reports that reportedly placed the two ICNL facilities among operators with unresolved transit positions.
The CGC-STFT reconciliation exercise is part of the Customs Service’s broader effort to resolve outstanding transire (transit) transactions and tighten controls over duty-suspended cargo moved from seaports to inland bonded facilities.
Under the exercise, operators with unresolved positions are required to account for previous cargo transfers before processing fresh transire transactions.
Customs had restricted further transire processing, waivers and exceptional local clearances for operators whose records remained unresolved.
The September 25 circular, however, officially identifies ICNL Kano and Kaduna as facilities whose positions have now been verified and reconciled.
ICNL, incorporated in 1980, has operated bonded terminals and provided hinterland cargo-transfer services from Nigeria’s seaports under Customs bond for decades.
Its Kano and Kaduna facilities operate with Customs presence, while the Kaduna Inland Dry Port has emerged as a major inland cargo-handling facility serving northern Nigeria.
The company and KIDP have also received industry recognition for their operations, compliance and contribution to the development of inland logistics infrastructure.
The reconciliation drive comes amid intensified Customs enforcement against cargo diversion and other violations involving transit consignments.
In late 2025, the Service reported the seizure of 20 diverted transit containers in Kano and Jigawa with a combined duty-paid value of about ₦769.5 million, describing the diversion of transit cargo as a breach of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
Trade stakeholders have backed the principle of reconciling outstanding transactions before operators are allowed to process fresh duty-suspended cargo, while urging Customs to make the process transparent and time-bound.
They have also called for operators that have cleared their records to be promptly restored to normal operations, to avoid prolonged restrictions on compliant businesses.
The latest Customs annex does not represent a blanket clearance for all bonded terminals, warehouses and FTZ enterprises nationwide. Rather, it is the latest record in an ongoing verification and reconciliation exercise, with operators yet to resolve outstanding positions remaining subject to the applicable Customs restrictions.