By Our Correspondent
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has identified the Service as a critical force in Nigeria’s fight against arms trafficking, drug smuggling and other cross-border crimes, stressing that effective border management is essential to national security.
Adeniyi said Customs had evolved beyond revenue collection to become a frontline institution responsible for protecting Nigeria’s sovereignty, securing its borders and preventing dangerous goods from reaching criminal groups.
He stated this on Tuesday, October 20, while delivering the 3rd Distinguished Personality Lecture of the TETFund Centre of Excellence in Security Management (TECESM), University of Ibadan, at Trenchard Hall.
The lecture was themed, “Why Customs Matters: Revenue, Security and Nationhood in a Borderless World.”
Citing the Service’s security operations, Adeniyi disclosed that Customs intercepted 399 pump-action rifles and hundreds of firearm components aboard the vessel MV Velika at Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, in July 2026.
He also recalled the seizure of 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of ammunition at Onne Port in June 2024, noting that the interceptions helped prevent weapons from reaching criminal networks and threatening public safety.
The Customs chief identified counterfeit medicines, illicit drugs, wildlife trafficking, fuel smuggling and the illegal movement of food commodities as other threats requiring effective border controls and intelligence-led enforcement.
He said the Service was collaborating with agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to combat illicit trade and cross-border criminal activities.
Adeniyi argued that despite the expansion of global trade and digital commerce, national borders remained vital to security, describing the belief that borders were becoming irrelevant as a misconception.
He said countries needed smarter border management systems built around intelligence, reliable data, technology and cooperation among security agencies to detect and prevent the movement of illegal goods.
The Comptroller-General also advocated practical trade arrangements for border communities, noting that effective enforcement should recognise longstanding family, cultural and economic ties across neighbouring countries while encouraging small traders to use legitimate channels.
He highlighted reforms under the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, including advance rulings, post-clearance audits and stronger cooperation with foreign customs administrations, as measures to improve the Service’s effectiveness.
Adeniyi said Customs was expanding digital cargo clearance through its B’Odogwu platform and the National Single Window initiative, with the long-term goal of reducing cargo clearance time to 24 hours.
He added that the Authorised Economic Operator programme had reduced clearance time for participating companies from 168 hours to 41 hours, demonstrating the potential of technology and streamlined procedures to improve trade facilitation.
The Customs chief called on the University of Ibadan, TECESM and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to partner with the Service on border-security research, data analytics fellowships, an illicit trade observatory and postgraduate studies on border management.
He said collaboration between researchers and security practitioners would promote evidence-based policies, strengthen institutional accountability and provide practical solutions to emerging security threats.
Earlier, the Director of TECESM, Prof. Benjamin Aluko, said the centre was established in November 2020 as one of 12 TETFund Centres of Excellence in Nigerian universities to advance research in early warning systems and security management.
Aluko disclosed that the centre commenced its MSc programme in Security Management in the 2024/2025 academic session with about 40 students, largely drawn from security agencies, while its PhD programme was expected to admit its first students in the next academic session.
He announced plans to develop a specialised curriculum, in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies and other university departments, to train senior Customs officers.
The Director appealed to Adeniyi to provide a 30-seater bus to support students’ field research and assist in establishing a training and research facility to be named the Bashir Adewale Adeniyi Research and Training Hub.
In his remarks, the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Oyebode Adebowale, described Customs administration as crucial to protecting national sovereignty and tackling threats such as arms proliferation, drug trafficking, smuggling and cross-border terrorism.
Adebowale commended Adeniyi for reforms aimed at improving revenue collection, cargo clearance and data-driven administration, including the B’Odogwu platform and the Authorised Economic Operator programme.
He urged students and security professionals to develop expertise in data analysis, intelligence, trade monitoring and criminal networks, stressing that effective security governance required smarter institutions rather than simply greater force.
The event featured the presentation of the 54-chapter book, Perspectives on Security Management in Nigeria, and the first edition of the Ibadan Security Review, published in May 2026.
There was also an investiture of the Comptroller-General as a Fellow of TECESM
Those in attendance included the incoming University of Ibadan Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Peter Olapegba; former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka; TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono; and Prof. Isaac Olawale Albert.
Representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of State Services, Nigeria Customs Service, NDLEA and Amotekun Corps also attended, alongside a representative of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja.
