Container haulage from Lagos port to Kano, Aba and Onitsha

Haulage from Lagos port to Kano, Aba and Onitsha in 2026: road routes, Eto call-up, rail limits, dry-port options and what to check before booking.

If you are pricing haulage from Lagos port to Kano, Aba or Onitsha, the sea journey is only part of the cost.

Once your container is released at Apapa or another Lagos terminal, it still has to leave the port, join the interstate road network and reach your warehouse. That means arranging the right truck, port access, empty-container return and a clear delivery price before the vehicle moves.

Road haulage is still the most practical option for most containers going directly from Lagos to Kano, Aba or Onitsha in 2026.

Rail is available from Apapa, and northern dry ports are operating, but there is still no simple nationwide system where every importer can put a container on a train in Lagos and collect it in Kano, Aba or Onitsha.

How far is Lagos port from Kano, Aba and Onitsha? #

The exact distance changes with the terminal, route and final warehouse, but these are useful planning figures:

• Lagos to Onitsha: roughly 500 km by road.
• Lagos to Aba: roughly 650–680 km.
• Lagos to Kano: roughly 1,100–1,200 km.

Those numbers explain why Kano haulage is a very different job from moving a container to the South-East.

Distance, however, does not tell you the final price.

A truck can spend hours around the port before beginning the interstate journey. Diesel, cargo weight, truck availability, road conditions, empty-container return and the exact delivery point can all change the quote.

What happens before the truck leaves Lagos port? #

Do not book the interstate journey as though the truck simply drives into Apapa and picks up your container.

Your cargo first has to complete the port process.

That normally means Customs and terminal requirements have been completed, the shipping line has released the container, the necessary delivery documents are ready and a truck has been scheduled to enter the port.

Our Apapa port clearing process explains what happens to the container before haulage begins.

One expensive mistake is arranging a truck too early.

If the cargo is not ready for collection, the vehicle can sit idle while waiting charges build up. If you arrange it too late, terminal storage or shipping-line charges may continue while you look for transport.

Confirm that the container is genuinely ready before dispatching the truck.

What is the Eto call-up system? #

Trucks do not simply queue outside Apapa until a gate opens.

The Nigerian Ports Authority uses the Eto electronic truck call-up system to control truck movement into the Lagos Port Complex and Tin Can Island Port.

The system was introduced to reduce uncontrolled truck queues around the ports. Trucks are scheduled through approved arrangements before entering the port corridor.

For an importer, the important question is simple:

Does the transporter handling your container have the correct port-access arrangement for the terminal?

A cheap interstate quote is useless if the truck cannot enter the port when required.

Ask your transporter whether the price includes the relevant port-access and truck-call-up costs instead of discovering additional charges after you have agreed the job.

How much does container haulage from Lagos cost? #

There is no reliable fixed national price for Lagos-to-Kano, Lagos-to-Aba or Lagos-to-Onitsha container haulage.

Rates can change quickly.

A proper quotation should identify:

• whether the container is 20ft or 40ft;
• the cargo weight;
• the exact Lagos terminal;
• the final delivery address;
• whether port-access costs are included;
• whether the quote includes return of the empty container;
• how many free waiting hours you receive;
• charges for overnight delays;
• whether goods-in-transit insurance is included;
• and how long the quotation remains valid.

Do not compare two quotes only by the number at the bottom.

One transporter may include empty-container return while another leaves it out. One may include port access while another adds it later.

That difference can destroy what originally looked like the cheaper quote.

Haulage should also be included when calculating your landed cost from China to Nigeria. The profit on an import is based on what the goods cost at your warehouse, not what the supplier charged in China.

Can you move a container from Lagos to Kano by rail? #

This is where many explanations online become misleading.

Apapa does have working container rail connectivity. APM Terminals currently offers standard-gauge container movement between its Apapa terminal and Moniya in Ibadan.

That service is useful, particularly when Ibadan fits into the shipper's logistics plan.

It does not mean there is currently a routine standard-gauge Apapa-to-Kano container service that every Kano importer can book.

The Kaduna–Kano section of the newer rail development was still being worked on in 2026, with the Federal Government targeting commissioning later in the year.

The old narrow-gauge network also exists, and Dala Inland Dry Port is connected to rail infrastructure, but regular end-to-end container movement has continued to face connectivity and operational limitations.

So, when pricing haulage from Lagos port to Kano, do not assume rail will automatically replace the truck.

Ask the shipping line, terminal or logistics operator for a specific current rail service, departure schedule, total charge and final collection arrangement.

If they cannot confirm those four things, budget for road haulage.

Does Dala Inland Dry Port solve the Kano problem? #

Dala Inland Dry Port in Kano is real and operational.

It was commissioned in 2023 and has port-of-origin and port-of-final-destination status. In principle, that allows cargo processes that would normally be associated with a coastal port to be brought closer to northern businesses.

That is important for Kano importers.

But a working dry port and a seamless rail connection from Lagos are not the same thing.

Rail connectivity has remained one of the biggest limitations affecting Nigeria's northern inland dry ports.

This means a Kano importer should ask one important question before the shipment leaves China:

Can the shipping line issue a through bill of lading to the inland destination and confirm how the container will actually reach Dala?

Do not wait until the container is already sitting in Lagos to ask.

If there is no confirmed through arrangement, direct road movement from Lagos may still be the simpler option.

For the sea-freight side of the journey, see our guide to shipping companies from China to Nigeria.

Is there a working inland dry port for Aba? #

Not yet in the sense an Aba importer can rely on for routine container delivery from Lagos.

The proposed Isiala Ngwa Inland Dry Port in Abia State remains a development project.

In April 2026, the Abia State Government was still discussing the project's viability and the need for affordable transport and rail connectivity.

That means an importer whose Lagos container is going to Aba should presently plan around road haulage unless a logistics company offers a specific verified alternative.

Do not price your import on the assumption that the Abia dry port is already handling your container.

Does Onitsha have an inland dry port? #

A proposed Onitsha Inland Container Depot exists on the federal project list, but it is not yet a normal operational alternative to Lagos port haulage.

The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission still lists the Onitsha project in the procurement stage.

For a trader taking a Lagos container to Onitsha, direct road haulage therefore remains the practical option in most cases.

The same rule applies here: distinguish between an announced infrastructure project and a service you can actually book today.

Is rail worth using for part of the journey? #

Sometimes.

APM Terminals publishes a scheduled standard-gauge service between Apapa and Moniya, Ibadan. For businesses whose cargo can efficiently move through Ibadan, it may reduce the amount of road transport required.

But do the complete calculation.

Moving a container cheaply from Apapa to Ibadan does not help if the second leg from Ibadan to your warehouse makes the total journey more expensive or slower.

Compare:

Port → direct truck → warehouse

against:

Port → rail → inland terminal → truck → warehouse

Include every handling, transfer, storage and final-delivery charge.

That final figure is the one that matters.

What should you ask a haulage company before paying? #

For haulage from Lagos port to Kano, Aba or Onitsha, send the transporter the full job details and request one written price.

Give them:

1. The port and terminal.
2. Container size.
3. Approximate cargo weight.
4. Final delivery address.
5. Expected release date.
6. Whether the container must be returned empty to Lagos.
7. Any special cargo requirements.

Then ask:

• Is this an all-in price?
• Is Eto or port access included?
• Is empty-container return included?
• How much is truck waiting time?
• When do extra waiting charges start?
• Is the cargo insured while in transit?
• Can I track the truck?
• Who handles a breakdown?
• How long is this quote valid?

Get those answers before transferring money.

Road or rail: which should you use? #

For Kano, direct road haulage remains the easiest service to find. Dala Inland Dry Port creates another option, but confirm the actual rail or intermodal movement before relying on it.

For Aba, road haulage from Lagos remains the practical default while the Isiala Ngwa dry-port project develops.

For Onitsha, road haulage also remains the practical default while the proposed inland container depot remains under development.

Rail should be treated as a real option only when somebody can give you a current service, price, timetable and collection point for your specific container.

That is more useful than being told that a railway line or dry port simply “exists.”

One last check before the truck moves #

Do not calculate your China import only to the Lagos port.

Your real cost continues until the goods reach the place where you will sell or use them.

Add the haulage, port charges, duty and other import costs before setting your selling price. If you are still working out the customs side, use our Nigeria customs duty calculator guide.

And when comparing haulage from Lagos port to Kano, Aba or Onitsha, compare the complete journey—not just the cheapest truck quote.

A good haulage price is one that gets the correct container from the terminal to the correct warehouse without surprise charges halfway through the trip.

First published 24 Sep 2026. Last checked 26 Sep 2026 by The ChinaBridge desk. Something here out of date? Tell us in the comments and we will fix it.