The Nigeria Customs Service chief reveals drug cartels are recruiting customs officers and bonded terminal staff to facilitate drug trafficking, vowing severe consequences for those involved.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has sounded the alarm over drug cartels actively recruiting customs officers and personnel from bonded terminals to facilitate drug trafficking operations. During a press briefing following a major seizure of 1,072kg of Cannabis Indica from Canada and India at the Tincan Island Port Command, Adeniyi emphasized that those involved would face severe legal consequences.
Adeniyi revealed that the NCS has made significant strides in identifying corrupt elements within and outside the service who aid the movement of drug consignments without proper examination. He displayed approximately N4.2 billion worth of seized hemp, highlighting the NCS's intensified scrutiny on "unscrupulous customs officers" collaborating with bonded terminal operators to expedite the clearance of drug shipments.
"I assure you that the service will soon name, shame, and arrest those involved. The modus operandi involves moving imported containers from the port on transit without proper examination, diverting them to private premises instead of bonded warehouses," Adeniyi stated. He acknowledged the collaborative efforts of sister agencies, particularly the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in combating drug trafficking.
