Customs, EFCC, NDLEA, Four Other Agencies Strengthen Partnership to Combat Cross-Border Financial Crimes
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has strengthened its partnership with six federal government agencies to tackle cross-border illicit financial flows, money laundering, corruption, drug trafficking, terrorism financing, and other related offences.
The initiative followed a three-day engagement held from October 27 to 29, 2026, led by the Assistant Comptroller-General in charge of Headquarters, Muhammad Shuaibu, with a focus on enhancing inter-agency cooperation and intelligence sharing to combat financial crimes and other illicit activities.
The agencies involved are the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the National Counter-Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
Speaking during the engagements, Shuaibu stated that the initiative was designed to improve coordination among the agencies in addressing threats to Nigeria’s economy and national security.
He explained that the mission would involve field visits to selected border stations to assess existing Customs control measures and engage relevant agencies on practical approaches to detecting and disrupting cross-border illicit financial flows.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, represented by the Chief Operating Officer, Intelligence Security Service Sector, Muhammed-Mustapha, commended the NCS for its efforts in combating smuggling and strengthening border security.
Mustapha also acknowledged the longstanding working relationship between both institutions, noting that the Customs Service was the first agency to collaborate with the NFIU following its establishment.
However, the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Mentoring Team, led by Shahiduzzaman Sarkar, engaged the agencies on strategies for strengthening Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) measures.
The team also emphasised the need for stronger collaboration with the NCS to ensure the success of the initiative.
During the discussions, participants identified communication gaps, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and database privacy concerns as some of the challenges affecting effective inter-agency cooperation.
They equally explored possible measures to address the identified obstacles and improve information sharing and institutional coordination.
The engagements concluded with the presentation of NCS awards and WCO certificates to the participating agencies, highlighting the Service’s commitment to strengthening institutional partnerships in the fight against financial crimes and other threats to Nigeria’s economy and national security.
