This article deals with Nigeria’s current import and export prohibition lists 2020. If you are into goods importation or exportation, then it might interest you to know the items that you can legally bring into Nigeria or send out within legal frameworks.
In as much as government encourages the exportation of Nigerian made products, there are however items that you cannot export outside Nigeria. This contraband products fall under the category called export prohibition list by the Nigerian custom service.
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On the other hand, no country is ever self-sufficient including Nigeria. Therefore, the need to import those items that are not available locally is necessary. However, in order to protect the domestic market from unfair competition outside, there are certain prohibited goods you can’t import into Nigeria. This category of goods falls under the import prohibition list.
Hence, in order to stay within the ambit of the law, there is an urgent need to know the list of contraband goods in Nigeria 2020.
From the above observation, this article will be divided into two categories. While the first will deal with Nigeria’s import prohibition list 2020, the second part will deal with Nigerian custom export prohibition list 2020.

The government arm that is in charge of regulating imports and exports in Nigeria is called the Nigerian custom service. To learn more about the ranks and salary structure of this commission, and other pertinent data about it, read our full guide on it here
Table of Contents
Nigeria Import Prohibition List 2020
There are two types of import prohibition list in Nigeria. While the first is prohibited, the second is absolutely prohibited. These, we shall list accordingly presently.
Its recommended that you study these lists closely, so you dont have your goods seized by custom service.
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Below is the current import prohibition list 2020 by the Nigerian custom service:
S/N | Import Prohibition List 2020 |
---|---|
1 | Live or dead birds including frozen poultry |
2 | Porks and Beefs |
3 | Birds eggs including hatching eggs |
4 | Refined vegetable oils and fats |
5 | Cane or Beef sugar and chemically pure sacrose |
6 | Cocoa butter, powder and cake |
7 | Spaghetti/Noddles |
8 | Fruit Juice in retail packs |
9 | Waters, including mineral water and aerated waters containing added sugar or sweetening matter |
10 | Bagged cement |
11 | waste Phamaceuticals |
12 | Mineral or chemical fertilizers containing two or three fertilizing elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium |
13 | Soups and potassium |
14 | Mosquito repellent coils |
15 | Retreaded and Pneumatic tires |
16 | Corrugated paper and paper boards |
17 | Telephone recharge cards and votchers |
18 | Carpet and other textile floor coverings |
19 | All types of foot wares and suit cases |
20 | Hollow glass bottles of the capacity exceeding 150mls |
21 | Used compressors |
22 | Used motor vehicles above 15 years from the date of its manufacture |
23 | Ball point pens and parts including refill |
24 | Tomato paste or concentrate put up for retail sell |
The above are the list of items that can not be imported into Nigeria in 2020. However, there is another category of import prohibition list that are very much severe, violators of which are liable to face a serious punishment.
The Importation Which Are Absolutely Prohibited In Nigeria
In this list of prohibited goods below, any person caught trying to import them will not only have the goods seized by the custom service, the person will equally face the full wrath of the law. The list includes:
S/N | Absolutely Prohibited Importation List |
---|---|
1 | Air pistol |
2 | Airmail photographic printing paper |
3 | All counterfeit material, including base or counterfeit coin of any country |
4 | Beeds composed of inflammable celluloids or other similar components |
5 | Blank invoices |
6 | Coupons for foreign football pools or other betting arrangements |
7 | Cowries |
8 | Exhausted tea or tea made with other substances. Exhausted tea in this regard means any tea which has been deprived of its quality |
9 | Implements relating to the reloading of cartridges |
10 | Indecent or obscene print or books |
11 | Manilas |
12 | Matches made of white phosphorus |
13 | Any material that can breach the peace or offend the religious views of any Nigerian |
14 | Meats or vegetable declared by a health official to be unfit for human consumption |
15 | Piece goods and all other textiles including wearing apparel, cookeries and other hardware bearing inscriptions from the Koran |
16 | Pistols disguised in any form |
17 | Second hand clothing |
18 | Silver or metal alloy coin not being legal tender in Nigeria |
19 | Nuclear industrial waste and other toxic waste |
20 | Spirits |
21 | Weapons of any kind |
Nigerian Custom Export Prohibition List 2020
Are there goods I can not export out of Nigeria? Yes, according to Nigerian custom service, the goods that falls under the export prohibition lists cannot be exported out of Nigeria.
Below is the current Nigeria export prohibition list 2020:
S/N | The Current Export Prohibition List In Nigeria |
---|---|
1 | Maize |
2 | Timber (Raw or sawn) |
3 | Raw hide and skin, including wet blue and all unfinished leather |
4 | Scrap metals |
5 | Unprocessed rubber latex and rubber lumps |
6 | Artifacts and antiquities |
7 | Wide life animals classified as endangered species and their products |
8 | All goods imported |
The above are the list of items you cannot export out of Nigeria as stipulated by the Nigerian custom service.
Conclusion
In as much as we want to expand our business by engaging in imports and exports, its always the best to do that within the ambit of the law. And this means importing and exporting those items which are only legal in Nigeria as certified by the Nigerian custom service.
Failure to do this may lead to your goods being seized by NCS, and in more serious cases, you may still be jailed.
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