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Uncertainty over Customs’ N3 trillion revenue target for 2022

CGC, Ali
—-collects N2.1 trillion in 10 months
—sacks 2,000 corrupt officers in 7 years
The Eyewitness reporter
Uncertainty hovers on the chances of the  Nigeria Customs Service meeting its 2022 revenue target of N 3.019 trillion due to the slur in the importation of goods and other policies of the government which have stifled imports.
Two months into the end of the year, the service has managed to gross about N2.143 trillion in revenue from January to October, leaving a balance of about one trillion Naira.
Even though the Comptroller General of Customs, Col.Hameed Ali(rtd) said the service would meet the target by the end of the year, but analysts said that the Customs helmsman’s tone lacks enthusiasm and confidence.
“We were given a target of N3.019 trillion for the year 2022 and we have so far collected N2.143 trillion so, we are working towards making sure that we get to the target.
” The collection of telecommunication and carbonated drinks tax is part of the target given to us but up till now, we have not started collecting that, which we will do.
“But we are working very assiduously to make sure that we block all leakages and by the end of December, we will report to Nigerians that we have met our over three trillion naira target,” he said.
While speaking during the weekly presidential media chat in Abuja Thursday, Ali said that the service will do all that it could to meet the target.
Similarly, the Customs’ strongman revealed that the service has axed 2,000 officers in the last seven years for compromising behaviours.
He however warned the general public to be wary of being scammed by such dismissed officers.
Ali further disclosed that smuggling activities have taken more dangerous dimensions but assured that his men and officers have also stepped up their game to beat the perpetrators of the illicit practice to their game.
According to him, the organisation is already conducting an intensive patrol around the borders, in collaboration with security agencies to realize the goal.

“We have agreed on the constitution of what we call the Joint Border Patrol Team.
“Today, we have a conglomeration of the Army, Airforce, and all other security agencies that have together under one roof to ensure the security of our borders.
” The team comprises both the military and paramilitary, with Customs as the leading agency because we are the gatekeepers in this operation.

“We have about four sectors from Cross River State up to Yobe. We are not covering between Borno and parts of the Adamawa States because of the ongoing military operation there.

“Therefore, the military has asked us to keep off those areas because they are handling that and until the areas are secured, we will not be able to go there. ”

Ali added that technology will also be deployed to further secure the borders, in line with current global best practices.

“Secondly, we are trying to increase our arsenal by increasing our capacity to be able to fight the smugglers and ensure we monitor our borders.

.”The modernisation process that we are putting in place, otherwise called e-Custom, has an inbuilt system for border monitoring which will be linked to ICT systems and cloud information.

“We are working with the Airforce to make sure that we monitor our borders and ensure effective control.

“We intend to have more aircraft as well as talking with the Army to train our officers to learn to para drop so that they will be able to intercept the actions of smugglers,” he added.

The Customs Boss said Nigeria is working closely with her neighbours to fortify the borders.

“We are making sure that we work closely with our neighbour as that is the best way of solving this problem.

“If we have a good understanding of our neighbouring countries and we work based on the ECOWAS protocol, all these things will stop.

“Between us and Nigeria Republic, we have almost a perfect system in place and if there is a problem, it is only minimal cases of smuggling.

“Where we problem is on our borders with the Benin Republic but we are working with them to see if we can create a synergy to be able to protect ourselves and protect each other,” Ali stated.
On seized goods, he said the Customs Service gives food items to displaced persons and the needy, based on the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari.
” He said they distribute the food items in conjunction with the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration (NAFDAC).

“What we do with the seized goods such as rice, tomatoes, and the rest, are given to the needy.

“In the past, we either sold or destroyed them. But with the coming of this administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, being a compassionate leader has given directives.

“So, all perishable goods seized by the Customs are now given to the needy.

“Primarily we were giving them to the displaced persons because before the advent of the flood and banditry, the displaced persons were the most pronounced people in need but now the President has mandated the Nigeria Customs Service to ensure that all perishable items are given to these people to alleviate their suffering. ”
On the automation of the service, Ali also revealed that the process is in progress which he said will lead to the electronic processing of goods and taxes.

He said when all activities of the Customs are fully automated, it will enhance revenue generation and prevent the import of illicit goods into Nigeria as well as monitor the country’s borders.

He said the automation is a 20-year project that will cost about 3.8 billion dollars to actualise.

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Customs

Apapa Customs leads intelligence – based operation to intercept 1.8tonnes of Cannabis Sativa, N12.8b worth of expired pharmaceuticals products

Funso OLOJO, Editor
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has led an intelligence- led operation in conjunction with the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Monday, 15th June, 2026, to intercept a 40FT container with number CAAU7569127 conveying a large consignment of Cannabis Sativa, commonly known as “Canadian.
According to the Apapa Customs command, the operation led to the recovery of 3,639 sachets of the illicit substance, with each sachet weighing 500 grams, bringing the total weight to approximately 1,819 kilograms (1.81 tonnes).
Preliminary field tests conducted on the substance returned positive results for Cannabis Sativa.
The drugs were cleverly concealed inside a black Toyota Nissan vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, along with several bags and drums loaded inside the container.
The interception highlights the Command’s enhanced capacity to detect and dismantle sophisticated smuggling networks attempting to exploit Nigeria’s maritime entry points.
The examination was carried out in collaboration with key security and regulatory agencies.
In a related development, the Command intercepted 2 x 40FT containers loaded with expired pharmaceutical products illegally imported into the country.
Physical examination revealed that the pharmaceutical products have varied expiry date of 2021, 2022 and 2023 which the importers planned to relabel  and reintroduce into the Nigerian market, posing serious health risks to unsuspecting consumers.
The 1 x 40FT with number PCIU8771576 contained expired pharmaceuticals including Cidoxilin Capsules, Cynamine Vitamin B12 Injection and Becoline B-Complex Injection.
While, 1 x 40FT container with number MRKU4961275 contained various expired medical products such as Oxytocin Injection, Mexclor Eye Drops, Avomex Tablets, Carbamazepine Tablets, Silymarin Tablets, Nystatin Tablets, Hyoscine Butylbromide Tablets.
The seized items have a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N12.8 billion .
The substantial seizure highlights the scale of the attempted economic sabotage and underscores the unwavering commitment of the Nigeria Customs Service to protecting national security, public health and the Nigerian economy through intelligence-driven enforcement operations.
Commenting on the seizures, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba warned that “unpatriotic importers and their collaborators who deliberately engage in smuggling, drug trafficking and the importation of expired pharmaceuticals are enemies of Nigeria’s progress.
“We have the intelligence, the technology and the resolve to identify and apprehend them.
“Anyone still contemplating these criminal acts should immediately desist, because the consequences will be swift, decisive and uncompromising.
“Apapa Port will not be used as a conduit for economic sabotage and public health endangerment.”
Comptroller Oshoba further warned that Apapa Port and all Customs-controlled areas remain under constant surveillance.
The CAC reassured all Nigerians of the Command’s commitment to intensifying intelligence-driven operations to protect lives, secure legitimate trade and uphold national security.
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Customs

Customs Zone ‘C’ Intercepts Smuggled Vegetable Oil Worth N403.5 Million

Funso OLOJO, Editor

 

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘C’, Owerri, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded a major anti-smuggling success with the interception of a large consignment of smuggled foreign vegetable oil valued at over N403.5 million.

The seizure followed strategic intelligence gathering and coordinated operations by officers of the Unit, leading to the interception of two trailers conveying the prohibited products.

Items seized include:
3,310 jerry cans (25-litre kegs) of Super Delicious vegetable oil;
10 jerry cans (10-litre kegs) of Super Delicious vegetable oil;
20 cartons of 5-litre sunflower vegetable oil; and
20 cartons of 3-litre sunflower vegetable oil.

According to the Unit, operatives intercepted one of the trucks carrying the consignment at about 10:00 p.m. on May 9, 2026, along the Ninth Mile axis of Enugu State, while the second truck was intercepted on June 7, 2026, along the Onitsha–Agbor Highway, following credible intelligence.

The Command disclosed that the seized goods have a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N403,491,000.
Speaking on the seizure, the Controller of FOU Zone ‘C’, Bashir Balogun, described the operation as a significant blow to economic saboteurs whose activities undermine local industries and the nation’s economy.

He noted that the illegal importation of foreign vegetable oil negatively affects domestic production, technology transfer, job creation, and foreign exchange earnings.

Balogun emphasized that the operation demonstrates the Service’s unwavering commitment to enforcing the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2022 and the Federal Government’s fiscal and protective policies prohibiting the importation of foreign vegetable oil.

He warned individuals and syndicates involved in smuggling to desist from such activities, stressing that the Nigeria Customs Service would continue to deploy intelligence-driven enforcement strategies to safeguard public health, national security, and the domestic economy.

The seized vegetable oil remains in the custody of the Service while investigations into the smuggling network continue.

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Customs

Zone A Customs leads onslaught against wildlife smuggling syndicate, intercepts Elephant tusks, arrests four suspects

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has successfully dismantled a wildlife trafficking syndicate through a joint operation conducted with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC).

The intelligence-led operation resulted in the interception of 22 pieces of elephant tusks weighing a total of 130.84 kilograms, the arrest of four male suspects, and the seizure of the vehicle used for conveying the illicit cargo.

According to a statement issued by the Customs Zone A Command, the operation was made possible through extensive intelligence gathering, surveillance, and investigations into an organized wildlife trafficking network operating within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.

The operation was coordinated by the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, and the SIS A Team of the Customs Intelligence Unit, with support from NESREA and the WJC.

The seizure was effected at about 4:30 p.m. on June 13, 2026, in Ofada, Mowe, Ogun State, while the suspects were simultaneously apprehended at various locations in Lagos.

Customs disclosed that the seized elephant tusks have an estimated black-market value in Asia of N126.39 million.

The recovered wildlife specimens and the suspects remain in custody pending the conclusion of investigations and subsequent prosecution.

Speaking on the development, the Controller of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Comptroller Gambo Aliyu, described the seizure as a clear demonstration of the unit’s commitment to enforcing national and international wildlife protection laws.

He noted that the operation was in line with Nigeria’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which the country is a signatory.

He further cited Section 55(1)(i) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, which prohibits the illegal trade in endangered species.

“This seizure underscores our ongoing efforts to combat illegal wildlife trafficking and protect biodiversity,” Comptroller Aliyu stated.

The Customs chief commended NESREA and the Wildlife Justice Commission for their invaluable support, noting that the success of the operation was a testament to effective inter-agency collaboration.

He urged the agencies to sustain the momentum in combating criminal networks that exploit Nigeria as a transit route for wildlife trafficking and other transnational crimes.

Comptroller Aliyu also appealed to members of the public to support the Nigeria Customs Service by reporting suspicious shipments, activities, or individuals linked to wildlife trafficking.

He assured that the Service would continue to take decisive enforcement actions against anyone found violating wildlife protection laws.

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