Customs Begin Enforcement As Infractions Rise Along Kano-Kaduna Trade Corridor

The comptroller general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has warned officers and stakeholders of severe consequences over rising infractions along the Kano-Kaduna trade corridor.

Adeniyi issued the warning during a stakeholders’ engagement hosted by the Kano/Jigawa Area Command, where he reiterated the Service’s resolve to deepen trade facilitation while clamping down on practices that undermine revenue generation and operational integrity.

Represented at the event by the Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘B’, assistant comptroller general of Customs, Nsikan Umoh, the comptroller-general cited incidents of cargo diversion, transit sabotage, fraud and collusion involving both Customs officers and trade stakeholders operating along the corridor.

He stressed that the Service would impose strict sanctions on any erring officer or stakeholder, noting that enforcement actions had already commenced in Kano since December 2025.

“These practices undermine operational integrity, result in revenue losses and discourage compliance.

I am therefore calling on all stakeholders to conduct their operations with the highest level of integrity, transparency and accountability,” Adeniyi warned.

“Compliance saves time, reduces cost and enhances credibility. Non-compliance, on the other hand, leads to sanctions, disruptions and reputational damage,” he added.

Earlier, the acting Customs area controller in charge of the Kano/Jigawa Area Command, Deputy Comptroller of Customs (DC) Usman Adamu, disclosed that the Command recorded significant operational gains in 2025, including surpassing its revenue target.

“In 2025, the Command exceeded its annual revenue target with a positive variance of about 5.71 per cent,” Adamu said.

He added that the Command also recorded notable successes in anti-smuggling operations, including seizures of hard drugs, illicit substances and tramadol hydrochloride above approved import thresholds, as well as the interception of foreign currencies in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.

“We also recovered armoured cables meant for electricity supply to several local government areas at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, thereby protecting critical national assets,” he said.

Despite sustained sensitisation efforts, Adamu noted that cases of currency interception continued to occur, including incidents recorded shortly after he assumed office.

He assured stakeholders that the Command would sustain the strong foundation laid by his predecessor through consolidation, collaboration and innovation, in line with the policy direction of the comptroller general.

The acting area controller further revealed plans to introduce real-time performance dashboards and explore collaboration with Bayero University, Kano, to translate sections of the Common External Tariff into Hausa to promote inclusivity.

“This initiative will also incorporate trade facilitation tools such as the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) manual and the advance ruling framework. Unfortunately, no stakeholder in this zone has keyed into these initiatives yet, despite the level of compliance recorded here,” he noted.

Speaking on behalf of licensed agents, the chairman of Licensed Customs Agents in Kano, Hafiz Ridwan, raised concerns over manual application processes but expressed optimism that ongoing administrative reforms would address the challenges.

“In the interim, the Command has adopted a simple but robust control system where all applications will originate strictly from Kano, with advance copies transmitted via official service mail to the ports,” he explained.

According to him, approved containers would be tracked through the IM5 application. At the same time, daily approvals would be shared with the Command to filter out non-compliant operators and focus on facilitating compliant stakeholders.