By Martha Agas
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the country’s border management framework ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
NCS National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja that the service was collaborating with international and local partners to reintroduce coordinated border management.
Maiwada said the initiative was aimed at facilitating an effective one-stop border post framework.
“In the area of collaboration, the NCS is working both with international partners as well as local partners to see that we reintroduce coordinated border management to do effective one-stop border post framework.
“We have started with Mfum in appraisal of that process, that is Mfum border with Cameroon as well as another one with Seme-Krake that is the Nigeria-Benin border.
“Those are also effective ways to make sure that we formalise formal trade, while illicit trade is curtailed to the barest minimum.
“Those visits were by product of our benchmarking mission to Zimbabwe Beitbridge border, which is a border between Zimbabwe and South Africa to see the model of border management.
“This is to make sure that we also learn the best from them and also execute in our own local environment.,” he said.
He said the service’s commitment to safeguarding the nation’s borders was also the reason for the introduction of non-intrusive inspection technology.
“We have invested in modernisation project which involves investment in geospatial intelligence, which is a modern tool for navigating and mapping our borders.
“Borders do not entail only the land borders that is why we are introducing non intrusive inspection technology.
“We are now marrying declarations with image analysis to make sure that items that are inimical to the security and well-being of Nigeria are not allowed into the country,” he said.
He said the service’s recent recruitment was also part of efforts to provide the human resources needed to man its borders effectively and curtail the smuggling of arms and other prohibited items into Nigeria.
The NCS official said the service was engaging stakeholders and border communities through the Customs Community Consultative Forum to sensitise them on the dangers of smuggling and seek their support.
NAN reports that the NCS Niger/Kogi Area Command in August handed over 189,000 rounds of confiscated live ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) in a major push against arms proliferation.
The service’s Comptroller-General, Bashir Adeniyi, also in August, handed over 399 seized firearms to NCCSALW, warning that criminal networks could exploit Nigeria’s borders, ports and airports to move prohibited items ahead of elections.
Adeniyi said that the service would intensify surveillance and enforcement operations to prevent the movement of illicit arms and other prohibited items through the country’s entry points.
He reaffirmed the NCS commitment to intelligence-led enforcement, stronger border surveillance and collaboration with sister security agencies to dismantle arms-trafficking networks. (NAN)
Edited by Gabriel Yough
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