Money Laundering: Customs Moves to Deepen Intelligence Sharing with EFCC, NDLEA, Police, Three Others
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified efforts to tackle money laundering, terrorism financing, drug trafficking and other transnational crimes through strengthened collaboration with six key federal government agencies.
The Service disclosed this following a three-day engagement with the agencies from October 27 to 29, 2026, as part of efforts to improve intelligence sharing and operational coordination in addressing cross-border criminal activities
The delegation was led by the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Headquarters, Muhammad Shuaibu.
The participating agencies include 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).
According to the Service, the engagements focused on developing stronger institutional partnerships to detect and disrupt illicit financial flows across Nigeria’s borders while addressing security threats associated with financial crimes.
Speaking during the meetings, Shuaibu said the initiative was necessary to strengthen coordination among security and financial regulatory institutions.
He explained that the exercise involved engagements with relevant agencies and visits to selected border stations to evaluate practical Customs control measures and identify areas requiring improved cooperation.
The NFIU, through its Chief Operating Officer, Intelligence Security Service Sector, Muhammed-Mustapha, praised the Customs Service for its longstanding partnership and contributions to the fight against smuggling and other cross-border offences.
Mustapha, who represented the Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, recalled that Customs was the first institution to establish a collaborative relationship with the financial intelligence agency when it was created.
“When NFIU was created, NCS was the first to collaborate with us. No particular agency understands things better than how Customs does globally,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the World Customs Organisation Mentoring Team, led by Shahiduzzaman Sarkar, engaged the participating institutions on international best practices for combating money laundering and terrorism financing.
The team emphasised the importance of stronger partnerships with the Customs Service to ensure effective implementation of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) measures.
The discussions also exposed some challenges affecting cooperation among the agencies, including communication gaps, bureaucratic procedures and concerns over database privacy.
Participants subsequently examined possible solutions to these challenges, with emphasis on improving information exchange, institutional relationships and operational effectiveness.
As part of the programme, the Nigeria Customs Service presented awards while the World Customs Organisation issued certificates to the participating agencies, reaffirming their shared commitment to combating financial crimes and safeguarding Nigeria’s economic and national security interests.
