By George Ozalla
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has inaugurated a four-week mentoring mission organised by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) to strengthen its capacity to detect and disrupt illicit financial flows, money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
The mission, inaugurated on Monday, October 19, 2026, at the NCS Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, is themed “Strengthening Nigeria Customs Service Capabilities to Effectively Detect and Disrupt Illicit Financial Flows.”
Funded by the United States Department of State, the exercise runs from October 18 to November 13, 2026. It will involve visits to selected Customs formations in Lagos and engagements with key partner agencies, alongside specialised capacity-building sessions for Customs officers in Lagos and Abuja.
The initiative is expected to improve the ability of officers to identify suspicious financial transactions linked to cross-border trade, strengthen intelligence gathering and enhance cooperation with institutions responsible for combating financial crimes.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stressed the importance of sustained cooperation among government agencies in tackling money laundering and terrorism financing.
Adeniyi recalled the reforms undertaken by relevant Nigerian institutions that contributed to the country’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in 2025, noting that the progress achieved through such collective efforts must be sustained.
He maintained that improvements recorded by one agency would have limited impact if other institutions responsible for addressing financial crimes failed to strengthen their operations. He therefore emphasised the need for continued collaboration, improved professional expertise and the sharing of knowledge among agencies.
The Customs chief expressed confidence in the willingness of officers to participate actively in the mentoring exercise, assuring the visiting experts of their cooperation.
“Competent officers who have passion for the job will give you all the cooperation to ensure we learn from other Customs administrations regarding what we are doing and how we can do better,” Adeniyi said.
Following the Comptroller-General’s remarks, the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Strategic Research and Policy, Nafiu Isiaku, introduced the WCO delegation comprising Jorge Lasmar, Lisa Vallese and Laurent Szymkowiak.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Lasmar explained that the exercise was designed to strengthen the Service’s operational capacity rather than evaluate its existing activities.
“The mission is not an assessment of Customs operations, but an engagement aimed at further strengthening the capacity of the Nigeria Customs Service,” he said.
Lasmar thanked the NCS management and the Comptroller-General for their guidance and cooperation, assuring them that the delegation would submit a comprehensive report at the conclusion of the exercise.
The mentoring mission comes amid growing concerns over the use of international trade, cross-border transactions and other financial channels to move proceeds of crime and finance terrorism. Customs administrations occupy an important position in efforts to address these threats because of their responsibilities at the nation’s borders and their access to trade and cargo information.
The four-week engagement is expected to equip participating officers with additional knowledge and practical skills while strengthening working relationships between the NCS, the WCO and other relevant agencies.
