The Nigeria Customs service says it will collaborate with Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to enhance border security through intensifying onslaught against smugglers and money launderers and other terrorism financing activities.
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adeniyi Adewale made this known when he received a delegation of
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit
led by Director General Hafsat Bakari, at the Service’s Headquarters in Abuja.
CGC Adeniyi’s says meeting with DG Bakari centred around sealing a strong partnership that will enable the two agencies to take measures on border security.
He further expressed Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to support NFIU by way of establishing a joint team that will be tasked to address some pressing issues.
Speaking earlier, the NFIU Director-General, Hafsat Bakari, applauded the NCS’s resilient commitment to safeguarding Nigerian borders, particularly in combating smuggling activities.
Emphasising the importance of information sharing, Bakari highlighted that her visit to the Headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service is to establish a cordial relationship with the service in intelligence sharing.
She said, “We recognise the vital role of the NCS in protecting Nigeria’s borders, preventing the smuggling of illicit goods, but also in ensuring that those who import goods into our country pay the appropriate fees and levies that are due to the federal government.”
According to her, the ultimate goal of the NFIU was to ensure the safety and prosperity of Nigeria, adding that “we want to make sure that we have efficient systems processes and technologies in place to identify the smuggling of currency and other high-value items.