The Nigeria Customs Service has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening border management and curbing the movement of illicit goods and arms as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections.
The NCS National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the service was working with local and international partners to reintroduce coordinated border management and develop an effective one stop border post framework.
Maiwada said the initiative had begun with assessments of the Mfum border with Cameroon and the Seme Krake border between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
He said the coordinated approach would help formalise legitimate trade while reducing illicit activities along the country’s borders.
According to him, the NCS’s work with its partners followed a benchmarking mission to the Beitbridge border between Zimbabwe and South Africa, where officials studied border management practices that could be adapted to Nigeria’s operating environment.
Maiwada said the service was also investing in technology to strengthen surveillance and improve its ability to identify prohibited items entering the country.
He cited the deployment of geospatial intelligence for mapping and navigating Nigeria’s borders, as well as non intrusive inspection technology designed to complement cargo declarations with image analysis.
“We are now marrying declarations with image analysis to make sure that items that are inimical to the security and well being of Nigeria are not allowed into the country,” Maiwada said.
He said recent recruitment into the Customs Service was also intended to provide the personnel required to effectively man border points and strengthen efforts against the smuggling of arms and other prohibited items.
The service is also engaging border communities through the Customs Community Consultative Forum to raise awareness about the dangers of smuggling and encourage residents to support border security efforts.
The renewed focus on border security comes as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for Jan. 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for Feb. 6, 2027.
NCS Comptroller General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has previously warned that criminal networks could exploit Nigeria’s borders, ports and airports to move prohibited items, including firearms, ahead of the elections.
In August, the service handed over 189,000 rounds of confiscated live ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. It also handed over 399 seized firearms to the centre, highlighting the scale of efforts to prevent illicit weapons from entering circulation.
Adeniyi has directed the service to intensify surveillance and enforcement operations and strengthen intelligence sharing with other security agencies to disrupt arms trafficking networks.
The NCS’s border management efforts are taking place alongside broader preparations by other security and migration agencies. The Nigeria Immigration Service recently reviewed the country’s National Border Management Strategy ahead of the 2027 to 2031 policy cycle, with emphasis on credible migration data, inter agency cooperation and responses to emerging security challenges.
The NCS said stronger coordination at border points would also support legitimate commerce by reducing delays and creating more efficient procedures for traders while maintaining security controls.
As Nigeria moves toward the 2027 elections, the effectiveness of these measures will depend on the ability of customs, immigration, security agencies, border communities and regional partners to share intelligence and coordinate operations across the country’s entry points.
The service said its objective is to maintain secure borders while facilitating lawful trade and movement, protecting national security and limiting opportunities for criminal networks to exploit Nigeria’s extensive land, air and maritime entry points.
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