The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has initiated a crucial collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to reinforce the nation’s framework against money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF).
The partnership was highlighted at the opening of a two-day capacity-building workshop during the week in Lagos.
Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Zone A, Mohammed Babandede, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stated that the initiative underscores the Customs leadership’s policy focus on inter-agency collaboration as a vital contributor to national security.
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Babandede noted that participants were deliberately drawn from strategic federal agencies, including the NCS, EFCC, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), and NFIU.
The selection focused on officers stationed at major entry points—airports and land borders—where high volumes of cash and human traffic occur.
The training is expected to facilitate the exchange of ideas and the development of actionable strategies to combat financial crimes.
He reaffirmed the NCS’s commitment to securing Nigeria’s borders against illegal financial flows and urged attendees to apply the acquired knowledge to enhance vigilance and compliance in their respective operational areas.
Speaking for the NFIU, the Deputy General Manager, Currency Operations Department at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Maryesther Eworitse, praised the NCS for fostering strong institutional cooperation.
She revealed that recent joint intelligence operations had successfully detected suspicious cash movements, including one case involving over $6 million at the Lagos airport.
Eworitse also mentioned that the NFIU has deployed currency declaration kiosks at international terminals and increased public awareness efforts to remind travelers of the mandatory requirement to declare cash exceeding $10,000.
Similarly, Shehu Muhammad, the EFCC Head of Investigations, Lagos Zonal office, emphasised the critical importance of synergy in disrupting complex financial crime networks.
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He noted that the NCS plays a primary role in the currency declaration regime, while the EFCC is responsible for investigations and prosecutions, adding that strengthening this inter-agency synergy will boost overall effectiveness.
Jointly organised by the NCS and NFIU, the workshop aims to improve institutional cooperation, enhance compliance with financial regulations, and ultimately strengthen Nigeria’s resilience against money laundering, terrorism financing, and other cross-border financial offenses.
