The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, has called for tighter arms control and increased vigilance ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that smuggled weapons could find their way into the hands of criminal groups and undermine electoral security.
Adeniyi said the interception of illicit firearms and ammunition remained critical to national security, citing the seizure of 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of ammunition at a bonded terminal in Onne, Rivers State.
He made the remarks on Tuesday while delivering the third Distinguished Personality Lecture organised by the TETFUND Centre of Excellence in Security Management at the University of Ibadan.
Speaking on the topic, “Why Customs Matters: Revenue, Security and Nationhood in a Borderless World”, the Customs chief highlighted the role of the service in preventing weapons from reaching criminal networks.
He said the firearms and ammunition intercepted in Onne on 21 June 2024 had arrived in a 40-foot container from Türkiye and were concealed among dolls, furniture and plumbing fittings.
“In February 2025, we handed over 1,599 firearms seized between 2018 and 2024 to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons,” Adeniyi said.
He explained that major consignments of illicit weapons were often transported by sea in containers, with the firearms dismantled or hidden among household goods.
“Every rifle stopped at the quay is a rifle that never reaches a forest camp, a kidnapping gang or a polling unit. As the 2027 general elections approach, that vigilance matters even more,” he said.
Adeniyi argued that intelligence gathering, data analysis and joint patrols with neighbouring countries were more effective ways of tackling smuggling than shutting borders.
He acknowledged that Nigeria’s land border closure between August 2019 and December 2020 curbed some smuggling activities but said it did not dismantle the networks involved.
“The lesson is that a nation is protected by intelligent control of its border, not by sealing it. Closure is a blunt instrument, while intelligence, data and joint patrols with our neighbours are sharper ones,” he said.
The Customs chief also warned that smuggling deprived the country of revenue needed to fund essential public services, including primary schools, healthcare facilities and rural roads.
He said Customs revenue provided a material foundation for the government’s social contract with citizens.
“Revenue, then, is the material base of the social contract and not just money. A nation that cannot fund itself cannot govern itself. That is the first reason Customs matters,” he said.
Adeniyi noted that Africa’s average tax-to-gross domestic product ratio stood at 16.1 per cent in 2023, compared with 33.9 per cent among members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
He explained that large informal sectors made income tax collection difficult in many developing economies, while imports passed through identifiable points such as seaports, airports and border posts.
He also called for scrutiny of import duty waivers, stating that concessions were valued at about ₦1.68 trillion in 2024. He said he had advocated a review of the waiver regime alongside the Customs Act.
Describing the service’s 2026 revenue target of ₦11.07 trillion as demanding, Adeniyi said the target would be pursued through improved compliance, data and trade facilitation rather than measures that could disrupt legitimate business.
“The Customs would pursue the target through compliance, data and facilitation, not through harassment at the ports, because a target met by choking trade would be a false victory,” he said.
The Director of the TETFUND Centre of Excellence in Security Management, Professor Benjamin Aluko, said the lecture was part of efforts to strengthen the centre’s work and deepen collaboration between academic institutions and wider society in addressing security challenges.
He said the event was expected to provide evidence-based information for intellectual engagement in security management, peace studies and the social sciences.
The lecture also featured the public presentation of a 54-chapter book titled Perspectives on Security Management in Nigeria, edited by Professor Isaac Albert, Professor Benjamin Aluko and retired Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai.
