By Peace Udugba -The Daily Torch Media
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has pledged to sustain the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism, warning against any reversal of Nigeria’s progress in strengthening its financial integrity framework.
The Service described Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list as a major national achievement that requires sustained commitment and collaboration among relevant institutions.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, stated this on Monday, October 26, 2026, during a stocktaking meeting at the NCS headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting was organised to assess Nigeria’s preparedness for its next Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) mutual evaluation.
Adeola said the exercise provided an opportunity to review the country’s progress, identify existing gaps and develop strategies to sustain the gains recorded in combating financial crimes.
She stressed that maintaining the achievements required continuous improvement and effective implementation of relevant policies and procedures.
“It is an opportunity to take an honest look at the progress Nigeria has made so far, identify the gaps that presently exist and ensure that Nigeria’s achievements are sustained,” she said.
Adeola warned that failure to maintain the progress could undermine the country’s efforts, adding that Nigeria must remain committed to preventing a return to the FATF grey list.
She also commended the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for its initiatives and programmes aimed at ensuring a smooth and successful mutual evaluation process.
According to her, the Customs Service occupies a strategic position in the country’s anti-money laundering framework because of its responsibility for cross-border trade, movement of goods and enforcement at the nation’s borders.
However, she emphasised that achieving lasting results required cooperation among government agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
“A tree does not make a forest,” she said, underscoring the importance of collective action in addressing financial crimes.
Speaking at the meeting, the Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, Hafsat Abubakar, represented by the Chief Operations Officer for Law Enforcement Support and Coordination, Emmanuel Sotande, thanked the Customs Service for hosting the engagement and contributing to discussions with delegates and assessors.
Sotande described the stocktaking exercise as an important opportunity to evaluate progress, identify outstanding gaps and strengthen Nigeria’s readiness for its next mutual evaluation.
He said the assessment would examine how effectively relevant institutions implement international standards designed to protect the country’s financial system from abuse.
Sotande also highlighted the importance of sustaining Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list, describing the achievement as the outcome of collaboration among institutions involved in combating money laundering and other financial crimes.
He said the responsibility now was to consolidate the progress and demonstrate lasting effectiveness in implementing the required measures.
According to him, the Customs Service’s contribution to Nigeria’s anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and counter-proliferation framework extends beyond its traditional responsibilities of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border enforcement.
“Customs plays a vital role in detecting suspicious transactions and activities across borders,” he said.
He explained that the Service’s access to trade records, import and export documentation, cargo information and border intelligence could complement the financial intelligence gathered by the NFIU.
Sotande added that effective information sharing and coordinated action between both agencies would strengthen efforts to identify suspicious networks, trace illicit proceeds and support appropriate enforcement measures.
He urged relevant institutions to continue working together to close existing gaps and strengthen the country’s capacity to combat financial crimes ahead of the next mutual evaluation.
