By Ayomide Otitoju
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) generated ₦7.28 trillion in revenue in 2025, surpassing the projected ₦6.5 trillion by 10 per cent, Comptroller General Adewale Adeniyi announced on Monday during the 2026 World Customs Day celebrations.
Adeniyi highlighted the Service’s efforts to “protect society” through extensive enforcement operations that disrupted criminal supply chains across the country. He noted that officers uncovered 16 containers of contraband at Apapa alone, including narcotics, expired pharmaceuticals, and concealed firearms valued at over ₦10 billion.
At airports, Customs intercepted more than 1,600 exotic birds trafficked without CITES permits, while land border teams seized illicit narcotics, counterfeit medicines, ammunition, and other prohibited items worth hundreds of millions of naira.
“These operations may not make headlines for long, but their impact is enduring—fewer young people exposed to harmful drugs, fewer weapons reaching criminal networks, fewer counterfeit medicines reaching patients, and fewer endangered species removed from the ecosystem,” Adeniyi said.
In total, NCS recorded over 2,500 seizures nationwide in 2025, with an aggregate value exceeding ₦59 billion. The seizures included narcotics, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, wildlife products, arms and ammunition, petroleum products, vehicles, and substandard consumer goods. According to the Service, these efforts prevented potential harm, including addiction, unsafe treatment, violent crime, environmental degradation, and treaty violations.
Adeniyi also highlighted the launch of the Time Release Study (TRS), which measures clearance performance and aims to improve efficiency at Nigeria’s trade gateways. The study revealed that while examination times are relatively efficient, idle periods caused by fragmented scheduling, manual documentation, and poor coordination unnecessarily slow clearance and erode competitiveness.
“With precise data on how long it takes from booking for examination to physical gate exit, we can now implement evidence-based reforms,” the Service said. “The fastest way to protect Nigerian traders and the economy is through both border security and procedural reform.”
The announcement underscores the Service’s dual focus on revenue generation and the protection of society while working to make Nigeria’s trade operations secure, efficient, and globally competitive.
