National Security : Customs collaborates with NCCSALW on the fight against arms smuggling

National Security :
Customs collaborates with NCCSALW on the fight against arms smuggling

The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has expressed the readiness of his management team to collaborate with National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) in the fight against trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

The CGC made this known to the Coordinator of the Centre, Maj. Gen. Abba Muhammad Dikko (rtd.), on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at the Customs Headquarters, Abuja.

“This is not the first time Nigeria Customs Service has been contributing to eradicating the menace of proliferation of small arms and light weapons, as it has on several occasions made seizures of such illicit items often concealed in bags of rice and other legitimate products,” the CGC added.

Recall that the Service has, in the second week of August 2023, intercepted over 1,000 live ammunition concealed in 203 bags of foreign rice in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital.

The Customs Boss, appreciated the National Coordinator for leading his team to visit the Service’s Headquarters, in order to synergise with him on issues of national security. He also emphasized the need to venture more into intelligence and data sharing.

He said : “We will be looking forward to having a deeper collaboration with the centre in terms of your database. First, I wish to inform you that I am happy that your Agency is doing well.”

He also gave assurance that the Nigeria Customs Service will do everything possible to synergise with the Agency through secondment of more Customs Officers to work with the Centre.

He added : “In terms of intelligence, I believe that you’re ready for it. We also do have a formidable intelligence unit and most of the seizures that have been credited to Customs are done through gathering credible intelligence.”

In his remarks, the Coordinator of the Centre congratulated the CGC on his appointment. He described the Service as a substantial pillar in fighting arms smuggling in the society.

He commended the efforts made by the Service in the area of curtailing illicit flow of arms through the Nigerian borders and further emphasized that it helps in securing the Country and the citizens.

“We all know that Nigeria is suffering from a myriad of insecurity-related issues of different sorts. The key catalyst that continues to fuel this insecurity is availability of small arms and without the help of Customs, we will not have a safer environment.” He said.

The National Coordinator, however, applauded the Service’s unflinching support in gracing his Agency’s programmes.

According to him, the synergy, if sustained, will not only help in protecting the country against multiplication of small arms and ammunition but also in the area of generating revenue for the Federal Government.