Customs CG Warns Officers Against Unlawful Arrests, Detention

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has warned that the Service should first implement self-discipline and integrity amongst its personnel earlier than demanding compliance from merchants and members of the general public.

Adeniyi mentioned no Customs officer ought to think about himself above the regulation, stressing that the Service’s enforcement powers have to be exercised inside authorized limits and subjected to public and judicial scrutiny.

He made the remarks whereas delivering the keynote tackle on the inaugural Customs Police Summit 2026, held on the NAF Conference Centre and Suites in Abuja.

The Customs chief, who additionally chairs the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council, mentioned the Customs Police Unit (CPU) had a important duty to guard the integrity of the Service by investigating erring personnel, stopping inner crimes and making certain compliance with established rules.

According to him, the precept that no officer is above the regulation should stay central to the operations of the Customs Police Unit.

“Before we demand integrity from traders and the public, we must show it ourselves,” Adeniyi mentioned.

He famous that the Customs Police Unit was inaugurated in July 2019 with the mandate to analyze erring personnel, forestall crime and guarantee compliance, including that the unit had an vital function in strengthening public confidence within the Service.

Adeniyi additionally cautioned officers towards abusing the police powers granted to the Nigeria Customs Service below the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

He mentioned each search, arrest and detention have to be based mostly on lawful grounds and performed in a fashion that might face up to public and judicial scrutiny.

“The NCS Act 2023 gives us police powers, but every search, arrest and detention must rest on lawful grounds and withstand public and judicial scrutiny,” he said.

The Comptroller-General recognized the rising sophistication of legal networks as a significant problem confronting Customs administrations, explaining that smugglers more and more exploit respectable commerce routes and digital platforms to maneuver prohibited items.

He listed firearm parts, narcotics, pretend medicines, protected wildlife and illicit funds among the many objects trafficked by way of such networks.

He argued that the Service couldn’t successfully fight these actions by way of aggressive enforcement alone, insisting that intelligence gathering, know-how and worldwide cooperation have been essential.

Adeniyi highlighted a number of worldwide Customs devices, together with the World Customs Organisation’s SAFE Framework, the Authorised Economic Operator programme, advance rulings, the Time Release Study and the Revised Kyoto Convention, as mechanisms for enhancing respectable commerce whereas permitting enforcement officers to focus on high-risk actions.

He mentioned these measures would additionally scale back alternatives for corruption and abuse of official discretion.

The Customs boss additional recognized digitalisation and intelligence-sharing as important to strengthening the Service’s enforcement capability.

He cited the B’Odogwu platform, which integrates cargo declarations, valuation, threat administration and Authorised Economic Operator processes, in addition to the INTERPOL Data Centre at Customs Headquarters, which supplies entry to worldwide legal databases.

According to him, the Customs Police Unit should make sure that intelligence gathered throughout enforcement operations interprets into profitable prosecutions whereas making certain that officers train their powers lawfully.

Adeniyi outlined three main priorities for the way forward for the unit: consolidation, collaboration and innovation.

He defined that consolidation would contain establishing clear procedures for arrests, detention and investigations, growing court-ready case recordsdata and strengthening skilled coaching.

On collaboration, he referred to as for stronger partnerships with the Nigeria Police Force, Armed Forces, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Department of State Services (DSS), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service and neighbouring nations.

He mentioned no single establishment may efficiently defeat illicit commerce with out coordinated enforcement operations and intelligence-sharing.

Adeniyi additionally urged the Customs Police Unit to embrace rising applied sciences, together with synthetic intelligence, superior scanners, geospatial instruments and digital cargo monitoring, to enhance investigations.

He warned that know-how should not substitute authorized safeguards or human accountability.

He mentioned synthetic intelligence may determine suspicious actions and flag potential dangers, however enforcement choices should stay with officers performing inside the regulation.