The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to modern, intelligence-driven border management and regional security cooperation during the official opening of a five-day National Training Seminar on Intelligence and the Instruments and Tools of the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
The capacity-building program, which commenced on Monday, October 6, 2025, in Abuja, was organised under the auspices of the Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILO) for West and Central Africa.
It brought together top Customs intelligence officers, WCO experts, and international facilitators.
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Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG) in charge of Strategic Research and Policy, Dera Nnadi, described intelligence as the critical foundation of contemporary border protection.
“In a world where illicit trade, terrorism financing, and cyber-enabled crimes are constantly evolving, intelligence-led enforcement has become not just a necessity but a cornerstone of national security,” Nnadi stated.
He emphasised that the NCS is dedicated to strengthening its intelligence architecture through increased collaboration with the WCO and RILO offices.
This commitment involves leveraging global instruments such as the Customs Enforcement Network (CEN) and the SAFE Framework of Standards, along with advanced data analytics, to significantly boost enforcement efficiency.
Nnadi urged participants to translate the knowledge gained into “practical strategies that strengthen risk analysis, improve profiling techniques, and promote data-driven enforcement decisions.”
Amadou Cissé, Head of RILO West Africa, represented the organisation and commended the CGC’s leadership, congratulating him on his recent election as President of the WCO Council.
He called the election “a testament to Nigeria’s rising influence in global customs administration.”
Cissé praised the NCS for its proactive reforms aimed at modernising operations, deepening intelligence capacity, and enhancing inter-agency cross-border cooperation.
He underscored the seminar’s importance in utilising the CEN and other WCO instruments to combat transnational crimes.
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Over the course of the seminar, officers are engaging in intensive sessions focused on data analysis using the WCO Customs Enforcement Network, intelligence sharing protocols, and regional risk management tools.
The programme aims for participants to sharpen their analytical capacity and develop renewed, collaborative intelligence strategies to combat cross-border crimes.
