Customs, Army Collaborate To Combat Smuggling, Border Threats

The acting comptroller general of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has commended the Nigerian Army’s efforts in combating the menace of insecurity in Nigeria, expressing the need for the two agencies to collaborate more in curbing smuggling and other border threats.

The Customs boss stated this when he led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, at the Army headquarters in Abuja.

The acting comptroller general, while congratulating the Chief of Army Staff, said, “Your appointment as Chief of Army Staff is no longer news, but I still feel mandated to congratulate you on this well-deserved position.”

According to him, the seamless collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Army would provide the opportunity for the two agencies to work together and improve their expertise in the areas of fight against smuggling, counter-terrorism, intelligence and extending humanitarian support to the public.

“We need this active collaboration with the Nigerian Army to enable us to kickstart our social program of distributing relief items to the victims of insurgency at IDP Camps, and we want the Nigerian Army to provide us with security and logistics while conveying this stuff,” he said.

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Adeniyi also appreciated the long-existing relationship and formidable bond between the two agencies.

“We have collaborated in several missions that succeeded in curbing smuggling, hence the need to form a formidable force to fight against enemies of the state. 

I wish to extend our sincere request to strengthen our ties to address the illegal inflow of dangerous goods and other threats to national sovereignty,” he said.

In response, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, thanked the Ag. Comptroller-General of Customs for visiting him and assured him of the Nigerian Army’s unflinching support to strengthen the security at the border areas.

“We must continue to collaborate to make sure we synergise and work closely in the areas of maintaining national security and training, and the Nigerian Army will continue to partner with Customs towards border-related issues and interests across the Federation,” he said.

He maintained that such collaboration would continue to provide valuable opportunities for the officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service to acquire new skills and knowledge, recalling that the two Security agencies have since been good partners in progress.