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Discloses over 200 containers of banned drugs seized
From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, has called for deeper and strategic collaboration with sister security agencies in the fight against the smuggling of illicit drugs into the country.
Adeniyi, who declared Nigeria Customs’ total war against smugglers of banned drugs and other harmful substances, said that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has been working closely with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to clamp down on illicit drug importation.
The Comptroller General made this call on Wednesday, June 11, while addressing journalists shortly after his official visit to the Nigeria Customs Area 2 Command in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
He disclosed that the recent synergy between the Nigeria Customs Service, NDLEA, and NAFDAC has led to the seizure of over 200 containers of illicit drugs, which were subsequently destroyed under the coordination of the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Adeniyi declared that the joint effort has ensured that the drugs do not fall into the wrong hands, stating that Customs has also established structures in border communities to work with local residents.
He urged officers to leverage the knowledge of their terrains and intelligence to help them conduct more effective operations.
The Comptroller General stressed that the NCS will continue to work closely with other stakeholders to tackle the menace of drug trafficking.
“My cardinal trust programme anchors on collaboration because I’ve always believed that we can get a lot of things done when we collaborate with each other. And I give the basic example of the ongoing clampdown on drugs.
“Before now, the three major agencies that are involved in the law against drugs are the Customs, NDLEA, and NAFDAC, and I discovered that the more we work together closely, the more we get results. So, when Customs declared a State of Emergency at the airport against the importation of illicit drugs in the country, what I did was to rally the support of NAFDAC and NDLEA, and since then, we have been receiving briefings from them, and we have conducted joint operations which have led to the seizure of over 200 containers of illicit drugs.
“We also came together under the coordination of the Office of the National Security Adviser to ensure the destruction of those drugs to ensure that they do not get into the wrong hands.”
“This is the same template that we are using in our border communities; all our Customs commands around the borders are encouraged to have relationships with members of the communities, and because we operate there, we live with them, they also have knowledge of the fact, they know the terrains where we operate, they also have superior intelligence about what is happening in those places, so we can leverage this intelligence that they provide for us in our operations.”
“I assure you that we have a structure for collaboration, and we are leveraging those structures to ensure that we work in tandem,” the Comptroller General stated.
Adeniyi, however, commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for leveraging the strategic asset of Ogun State as an industrial hub in Nigeria.
He declared that Governor Abiodun has repositioned the state and maintained its appellation of the ‘Gateway State’.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Area Customs Controller, Ogun 2 Area Command, Bisi Alade, commended the Comptroller General for his unwavering support and determination towards the development of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He informed that his command has continued to uphold the core mandates of the Service by ensuring discipline, integrity, and selfless service to the country.
Alade added that Ogun 2 Area Command generated N15,191,227,503.82 as revenue collected for the first quarter of 2025.
He noted that the revenue represents about a 40% increase compared to the N9,165,717,162.99 (Nine Billion, One Hundred and Sixty-Five Million, Seven Hundred and Seventeen Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty-Two Naira and Ninety-Nine Kobo) recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.