The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, of the Nigeria Customs Service in Ikeja has announced plans to intensify its intelligence-driven operations to combat smuggling activities.

During a meeting with members of the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Lagos on Thursday, the Customs Area Controller, Mohammed Shuaibu, issued a stern warning to importers and their clearing agents against making false declarations.

Shuaibu promised to deploy his wealth of experience to navigate the unit’s complexities and implement “intelligence-driven operations rather than stopping containers incessantly on the highways.”

Shuaibu noted that while the command primarily functions as an anti-smuggling unit, it also plays a significant role in facilitating legitimate trade.

“In terms of our anti-smuggling activities, very soon we are going to showcase some of our seizures and the suspects to the public. I do intelligence-driven operations.

“What we are trying to do is to ensure that we don’t just stop any kind of containers, even those checking points you see our officers roving around, we would want to eradicate that, while we will be doing intelligence-driven operations.

He explained, “At any point, our officers may intercept consignments to extract prohibited or undeclared items.”

Shuaibu also urged importers and clearing agents to make truthful declarations, emphasizing that transparency is key to promoting seamless business operations.

“If you see such officers coming out, it is because of the insincerity of the declarants or the importers. Now, we are going to be doing intelligence-driven operations, so if you see them stationed at a strategic location, it is because of the information at our disposal that we are tracking”, he explained.

Shuaibu promised to consolidate on the successes achieved earlier, collaborate and synergise with the necessary stakeholders in facilitating trade, adding that the command is always collaborating with sister agencies, and one of such collaborations was recently done with the Nigerian Army.

Earlier, the President of SCAN, Moses Ebosele, commended the unit for their commitment to protecting the economy against illicit items.