SEREC commends Customs chief over intelligence-led seizures
Lagos, Aug. 2026 (TBL Africa ) The Sea Empowerment and Research Center (SEREC) has commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, for intelligence-led seizures of arms, drugs and prohibited goods.
The Head of Research of the centre, Dr Eugene Nweke, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
He said the interceptions reflected vigilance and served as a critical first line of defence in Nigeria’s national security architecture.
Nweke said recurring seizures of arms, drugs and prohibited goods should no longer be treated as routine customs enforcement matters.
He noted that transnational syndicates were testing the nation’s maritime and land borders to establish supply channels through legitimate trade infrastructure.
Nweke said intercepted consignments of weapons and narcotics potentially denied criminals and terrorist networks access to dangerous materials and illicit financing.
He therefore called on the Federal Government to conduct deeper security assessments and improve intelligence coordination across all entry points.
The research head warned that election periods increased vulnerabilities through arms proliferation, illicit financing and the movement of people and goods.
He urged proactive surveillance ahead of the 2027 general elections to prevent trade corridors from becoming conduits for terrorism, banditry and election-related violence.
“There is a need for investment in risk-management systems, technology, data analytics, inter-agency information sharing and the welfare of officers at sensitive locations.
“Freight forwarders, customs brokers and bonded operators must be integrated into the national border security and compliance framework,” Nweke said.
He also proposed a national enlightenment programme to train trade operators on identifying suspicious cargo, documentation fraud and appropriate reporting channels.
Nweke urged the government to enforce laws against complicit industry actors while protecting legitimate businesses from harassment and exploitation.
He said ports should remain gateways for legitimate commerce, rather than channels for crime, and called for collective national responsibility.
