The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has pledged to sustain Nigeria’s gains in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing as the country prepares for its next Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) mutual evaluation.
The Service said maintaining the gains achieved in strengthening the country’s financial integrity framework would require sustained collaboration among relevant government agencies and effective implementation of existing measures.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, gave the assurance on Monday at a stocktaking meeting held at the NCS headquarters in Abuja.
Adeola described Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list as a significant national achievement, stressing the need to prevent a reversal of the progress made.
She said the meeting provided an opportunity to assess the country’s progress, identify outstanding gaps and develop strategies to strengthen its preparedness for the next mutual evaluation.
“It is an opportunity to take an honest look at the progress Nigeria has made so far, identify the gaps that presently exist and ensure that Nigeria’s achievements are sustained, because if they are not, it is like one step forward, two steps backwards, and that should not be our portion,” she said.
The Customs official commended the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for its initiatives and programmes aimed at ensuring a smooth and successful evaluation process.
“I believe Nigeria will never go back to that grey list,” she declared.
She noted that the NCS occupied a strategic position in the country’s anti-money laundering efforts because of its responsibilities for cross-border trade, cargo movement and border enforcement.
However, she emphasised that the Service could not achieve the desired results in isolation, calling for stronger cooperation among agencies involved in combating illicit financial activities.
“A tree does not make a forest,” she said.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, Hafsat Abubakar, represented by the Chief Operations Officer, Law Enforcement Support and Coordination, Emmanuel Sotande, said the stocktaking exercise was critical to assessing progress and strengthening institutional readiness for the forthcoming evaluation.
Sotande thanked the NCS for hosting the meeting, noting that the exercise would help participating institutions identify remaining gaps and improve their capacity to implement international standards designed to protect the country’s financial system.
He said Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list was a collective achievement that required continued commitment to preserve.
“Nigeria’s exit from the FATF grey list in October 2025 was a significant achievement that we all achieved by working together,” he said.
He added that the priority was now to sustain the progress and demonstrate that the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures were effective over time.
Sotande further highlighted the Customs Service’s contribution to the country’s anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and counter-proliferation financing framework, noting that its responsibilities extended beyond revenue generation, trade facilitation and border enforcement.
According to him, the Service’s access to import and export documentation, cargo records, trade information and border intelligence provides valuable support for detecting suspicious cross-border activities.
“Customs plays a vital role in detecting suspicious transactions and activities across borders,” he said.
He explained that linking Customs intelligence with financial information gathered by the NFIU would strengthen the ability of relevant authorities to identify suspicious networks, trace illicit proceeds and take appropriate enforcement action.
“When these capabilities are effectively connected through timely information sharing and coordinated action, we are better positioned to identify suspicious networks, trace illicit proceeds and support appropriate enforcement measures,” he added.
The meeting forms part of ongoing efforts to review Nigeria’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework, strengthen inter-agency coordination and ensure that the country remains compliant with international standards ahead of its next mutual evaluation.
