NCS, WCO Partner to Strengthen Fight Against Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified efforts to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism through a new partnership with the World Customs Organisation (WCO), aimed at improving the detection and disruption of illicit financial flows.
The initiative was formally inaugurated on Monday, 19 October 2026, at the NCS Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, as part of a four-week Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Mentoring Mission.
The programme, themed “Strengthening Nigeria Customs Service Capabilities to Effectively Detect and Disrupt Illicit Financial Flows,” is funded by the United States Department of State and is scheduled to run until 13 November 2026.
As part of the exercise, the WCO team will visit selected Customs formations in Lagos and engage with key partner agencies. The mission will also deliver specialised training to Customs officers in Lagos and Abuja to strengthen their knowledge and operational effectiveness in tackling financial crimes.
Speaking during the inauguration, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, underscored the importance of institutional cooperation in addressing the growing threat of illicit financial activities.
He cited Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in 2025 as evidence of the progress achieved through coordinated efforts among government agencies.
According to him, sustaining such achievements requires continuous collaboration, improved expertise and stronger institutional capacity across all relevant organisations.
Adeniyi assured the visiting WCO experts of the full support of the Service, expressing confidence that participating officers would take advantage of the opportunity to learn from international best practices and improve existing procedures.
He said the officers were ready to cooperate fully with the delegation to identify areas for improvement and strengthen the Service’s response to cross-border financial crimes.
The Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Strategic Research and Policy, Nafiu Isiaku, subsequently introduced the visiting WCO experts: Jorge Lasmar, Lisa Vallese and Laurent Szymkowiak.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Lasmar clarified that the engagement was intended to provide technical support and build institutional capacity, rather than serve as an assessment of the NCS’s operations.
He explained that the mission would focus on helping the Service strengthen its ability to detect suspicious financial activities and disrupt illicit financial flows.
Lasmar also commended the Comptroller-General and the NCS leadership for their cooperation, assuring that the delegation would submit a comprehensive report at the end of the mentoring exercise.
The initiative is expected to strengthen the capacity of the Nigeria Customs Service to combat financial crimes, improve information-sharing with relevant agencies and reinforce national efforts to prevent the movement of illicit funds across international borders.
