 |
| NCS — Oladapo Afeni |
The newly appointed Acting Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service, Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Afeni, has pledged to prioritise intelligence-led enforcement, close revenue leakages, and safeguard Nigeria’s economic and security interests.
Afeni assumed duty as the 30th Acting CAC of the unit at a brief ceremony held at the command in Ikeja. He succeeds Comptroller Gambo Aliyu, who retired after a distinguished tenure. The event was attended by colleagues, senior officers, stakeholders, friends and well-wishers of both the incoming and outgoing controllers.
In his inaugural address, Afeni committed to purposeful, professional and accountable leadership in line with the mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service. He expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, and the Service’s management for the confidence reposed in him.
Afeni stated that enforcement under his watch would remain firm, lawful and respectful of human dignity. At the same time, he promised to facilitate legitimate trade through constructive engagement with traders, manufacturers, importers, exporters, customs brokers and other stakeholders.
He called for stronger collaboration with sister security and law-enforcement agencies to tackle trans-border crimes, including the illicit movement of drugs, arms, currencies, counterfeit goods and other prohibited items. He also pledged renewed attention to officers’ welfare, professional development, institutional discipline and regular sporting activities to promote fitness, teamwork and work-life balance.
In his handing-over remarks, the immediate past CAC, Comptroller Gambo Aliyu, expressed gratitude and humility as he formally transferred leadership of the unit. He reflected on the responsibilities and challenges of the command and highlighted the operational focus of his administration: combating smuggling, revenue fraud, concealment, under-declaration, false declaration and the movement of prohibited goods.
Aliyu reported significant operational successes during his tenure. The unit intercepted 779 smuggling attempts. Notable seizures included:
• over 20,900 bags of foreign parboiled rice
• 61 used vehicles
• thousands of used compressors and clothing items
• foreign poultry products
• 4,418 jerrycans of vegetable oil
• 12,606 parcels of cannabis weighing 6,194.3 kg
• 2.30 kg of cocaine
• over 3,000 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit (76,505 litres)
• 22 elephant tusks weighing 130.84 kg
These and other seizures had a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦13.07 billion.
On revenue recovery, Aliyu stated that between December 2025 and September 2026 the unit recovered ₦3.192 billion. This figure represents 798 per cent of the unit’s ₦400 million annual target for 2026 and a 776 per cent increase over the ₦411 million recovered in the corresponding period of 2025.
He attributed the results to enhanced risk profiling, stricter compliance checks, targeted examination of suspicious declarations, teamwork, professionalism, and close collaboration with sister agencies and stakeholders. Aliyu stressed that no enforcement agency can succeed in isolation.
Welcoming his successor, Aliyu congratulated Afeni and assured him of a solid operational foundation. He charged the new Acting CAC to lead with fairness, firmness, courage and sound judgment. He thanked the officers of the unit for their loyalty, discipline and resilience, and prayed for the success of the new leadership, the continued growth of the Nigeria Customs Service, and the security of Nigeria.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Technology.
Post a Comment