The Comptroller General of CustomsAdeniyi addressing journalists during visit this week to Ogun Area Command ll, Abeokuta

The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, has called on all necessary stakeholders to form a strategic synergy to clamp down on drug trafficking and other illicit products.

CG Adeniyi highlighted the importance of collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking while addressing journalists during visit this week to Ogun Area Command ll, Abeokuta, he disclosed that in a recent development, the service 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.

Citing the benefit of collaboration, he noted that the partnership has led to the seizure of over 200 containers of illicit drugs, which were subsequently destroyed under the coordination of Officers 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 residents.

He urged officers to leverage their knowledge of their terrain and intelligence to help them conduct more effective operations.

The Comptroller General assured that the agency will continue to work closely with other stakeholders to tackle the menace of drug trafficking.

According to him,” My cardinal trust program anchors on collaboration because I’ve always believed that we can get a lot of things done when we collaborate. And I give the basic example is 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 declare a State of Emergency in the 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 that will receive from them, will receive briefings and we have conducted joint operations which has led to seizing 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 command around the border are encouraged to have relationships with members of the communities, and because we operate there, we live with them, they also know 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.

Speaking on state affairs, the CG 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.

“Ogun State is a very strategic place in Nigeria; in terms of strategic location, we all refer to Ogun State as the gateway state into Nigeria, and Ogun State is living up to this appellation. Of course, you know that Ogun State has a very important and strategic border area, border point and the major points in the Idi Iroko border that we shared with the Republic of Benin because of the strategic closeness to Lagos, also imagined as an industrial hub in the country.

“We now have a state Governor, Dapo Abiodun, leveraging this important asset of a strategic location in Ogun State, and repositioning it for industrial development”

“So we’ve seen several initiatives that have overtaken the facilities, the infrastructures and programs and the projects that have been done by the state government to enable the state to harness the benefits and potentials of this strategic location of the state.

“I am here today to assure the governor, the government and the good people of the states, that the Nigeria Customs Service will continue to remain a very strong partner of our nation towards economic prosperity, using this industry initiative as a pillar”

Meanwhile, in a welcome address, the Customs Controller Area 2, A. Olabisi Alade, commended the CG for his unwavering support and determination for the development of the Nigeria Customs service.

He said that the command has strived to uphold the core mandates of the Service by ensuring discipline, integrity, and selfless service to our dear nation.

Alade presented achievements of the command, which include, generation of N15.191.227.503.82 (Fifteen Billion, One

Hundred and Ninety-one Million, Two Hundred and Twenty-Seven Thousand, Five Hundred and Three Naira, eighty-two kobo only, as revenue collected for the first Quarter of 2025.

He noted that the revenue represents about 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.