The newly appointed Acting Controller of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service, Oladapo Afeni, has assumed office with a commitment to strengthen enforcement operations and improve revenue recovery.
Afeni, who became the 30th acting CAC of the unit, took over from Gambo Aliyu, who retired after serving as the head of the unit.
Speaking during the formal handover in Ikeja, Afeni said his administration would focus on tackling activities that undermine the nation’s economy while ensuring that Customs operations remained professional and accountable.
He said his administration would pursue “intelligence-led enforcement, block revenue leakages, and protect Nigeria’s economic and security interests.”
The new acting controller also assured stakeholders that enforcement would be conducted within the law and with respect for human dignity.
He said the unit would maintain constructive relationships with traders, manufacturers, importers, exporters, customs brokers and other stakeholders to ensure that legitimate businesses were not unnecessarily disrupted.
Afeni also sought closer cooperation with other security and law enforcement bodies in addressing cross-border crimes, particularly the smuggling of drugs, weapons, foreign currencies, counterfeit products and other prohibited items.
He pledged to make the welfare and career development of Customs personnel a priority, alongside discipline and sporting activities aimed at strengthening teamwork and maintaining officers’ physical fitness.
Meanwhile, the outgoing CAC, Aliyu, highlighted some of the achievements recorded under his leadership.
According to him, the unit intercepted 779 smuggling attempts during his tenure, with seizures including more than 20,900 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 61 vehicles, used compressors, clothing, foreign poultry products and 4,418 jerrycans of vegetable oil.
Other items seized included 12,606 parcels of cannabis weighing 6,194.3kg, 2.30kg of cocaine, 76,505 litres of Premium Motor Spirit and 22 elephant tusks weighing 130.84kg.
He said the total duty-paid value of the seizures stood at N13.07bn.
Aliyu further disclosed that the unit generated N3.192bn between December 2025 and September 2026, exceeding its N400m revenue target for 2026 by 798 per cent.
He said the figure also represented a 776 per cent increase compared with the N411m recovered within the same period in 2025.
The former CAC linked the revenue performance to improved risk assessment and tighter monitoring of suspicious transactions, as well as teamwork and cooperation with other agencies and stakeholders.
He said the success recorded by the unit demonstrated the importance of collaboration among security and enforcement agencies.
Aliyu congratulated Afeni on his appointment and urged him to build on the achievements already recorded by the unit.
He advised his successor to “lead with fairness, firmness, courage and sound judgment,” while thanking Customs officers for their commitment and resilience during his tenure.
