The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has warned customs police officers against abusing their enforcement powers, stressing the need for discipline, integrity and strict adherence to the rule of law.
Adeniyi gave the warning on Thursday in Abuja during the inaugural Customs Police Summit, where he emphasised the need for the Service to strike a balance between facilitating legitimate trade and tackling illicit activities.
He stated that the Customs Service could neither effectively facilitate legitimate trade nor prevent illegal activities without a disciplined and trusted police unit capable of upholding professional standards.
“One truth is clear, customs must facilitate legitimate trade and stop illicit trade, and it can do neither of them without a disciplined and trusted police unit to uphold its own standards,” he said.
The Customs boss maintained that officers must demonstrate integrity in the discharge of their duties before demanding the same from traders and members of the public.
“The first is that charity begins at home. Before we demand integrity from traders and the public, we must show it as such,” he stated.
Adeniyi also cautioned officers against misusing their statutory enforcement powers, noting that the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, grants them extensive police powers which must be exercised within the provisions of the law.
According to him, every search, arrest and detention must be backed by lawful grounds and capable of withstanding public scrutiny and judicial assessment.
“The second lesson, authority requires restraint. The NCS Act, 2023, gives us sweeping police powers. But every search, arrest and detention must rest on lawful grounds and withstand public and judicial assessment,” Adeniyi said.
He further observed that criminal networks had become increasingly sophisticated, exploiting the same trade routes used by legitimate businesses to transport prohibited and illegal goods across international borders.
He listed some of the criminal activities to include the smuggling of firearms and their components, narcotics, counterfeit medicines, protected wildlife and illicit financial flows, often facilitated through digital channels.
“Criminal networks have grown more sophisticated. They use the same route as legitimate traders to move firearms and components, narcotics, fake medicines, protected wildlife and illicit funds, often through digital channels. Our answers must be smarter. They must not be harder,” he said.
The Comptroller-General described the Customs Police Unit as central to the Service’s efforts to combat criminal activities, strengthen accountability and improve enforcement operations.
He added that the unit was responsible for ensuring that officers exercised their discretion lawfully and that enforcement operations resulted in successful prosecutions.
“The Customs Police Unit sits at the centre of all of this. It ensures that discretion is exercised lawfully, and that interception becomes successful prosecutions. Above all, it is the guardian of integrity,” he added.
Earlier, the Acting Provost Marshal of the Nigeria Customs Police Unit, Deputy Comptroller T.S. Sanusi, reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to strengthening integrity and professionalism within the unit.
The summit was attended by top officials from various security agencies, including the Nigerian Navy and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), among others.
