The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, has harped on the need for more synergy with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC in fighting the illicit smuggling of drug.
Adeniyi maintained that this collaboration is needed to intensify its battle against drug trafficking and importation.
The Comptroller General stated this on Wednesday, during a visit to the Ogun II Area command, in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.
According to him, the collaboration between the Customs Service, NDLEA, and NAFDAC had already achieved noteworthy outcomes, including the seizure and destruction of over 200 containers of illegal drugs.
He pointed out that the collaborative effort has prevented the drugs from ending up in the wrong hands, assuring that the agency will continue to work closely with other stakeholders to tackle the menace.
The CG said, “Before now, the three major agencies that are involved in the law against drugs are the Customs, NDLEA, and NAFDAC. I discovered that the more we work closely together the more we get results.
“ So when Customs declared a State of emergency in the airport against the importation of illicit drugs in the country, what I did was to rally the support of NAFDAC and NDLEA. We receive regular intel from them, we receive briefings, and joint operations and this has lead to the seizures of over 200 containers.
“We did not stop at that, we also came together under the coordination of the office of the National Security Adviser to ensure the destruction of those drugs so that they do not get into the wrong hands.”
Additionally, the Comptroller urged its officers in border communities to establish a good relationship with locals since they are familiar with the terrain in which they operate and possess superior intelligence on local events.
Meanwhile, Adeniyi commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for repositioning the state and using its strategic advantage as industrial hub in Nigeria, maintaining that the command will remain a strong partner towards economic prosperity.
In his welcome address, the comptroller of Ogun Area II command, Bisi Alade, praised the comptroller general for his commitment to the growth of the Nigeria Customs Service
He revealed that through discipline, integrity, and selfless service, the command has strived to uphold the core mandates of the service
Alade, however, outlined that several challenges including lack of vehicles, laboratory equipment, the need for Infrastructure such as solar lighting, boreholes, road paving within barracks, slow progress on staff housing projects, delays in revenue transfer from other commands among others still affect the command.