The Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi has urged officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to place intelligence at the heart of their professional duties, warning that modern security and revenue operations cannot succeed without timely, credible and effectively applied intelligence.
Adeniyi gave the charge on Monday at the opening of a training programme for officers of the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada.
Describing the programme as NCS’ first formal engagement of the year, the CGC said it marked a critical moment that could shape the professional outlook of participants. He called on officers to see the new year as an opportunity to make measurable contributions to the Service and national development.
Drawing on recent global and domestic security developments, Adeniyi referenced military and security operations in different regions, including interventions within Nigeria that resulted in the interception of arms and ammunition.
He noted that intelligence was the common factor behind every successful military or paramilitary operation.
According to him, Customs officers must understand intelligence not merely as a theoretical concept, but as a practical tool essential to effective field operations.
He urged participants to revisit papers already presented during the programme, stressing that they contained actionable guidance for operational effectiveness.
In his remarks, the Commandant of the NCCSC, Assistant Comptroller General of Customs Dow Gaura, described intelligence as a quiet but decisive force in institutional transformation.
He said the ability to gather, analyse and apply intelligence had become indispensable in responding to evolving security and economic challenges.
Gaura explained that the NCS had continued to invest in intelligence-led training as part of its broader capacity-building strategy, describing the programme as a crucial stage in the professional development of participants.
He added that intelligence underpins key Customs functions, including risk management, revenue protection, the disruption of smuggling networks and the safeguarding of the national economy.
Senior officers at the opening ceremony included the Deputy Comptroller General of Customs in charge of Human Resources Development, Tijjani Abe; the Deputy Comptroller General in charge of TRADOC, Sulaiman Chiroma; and the Assistant Comptroller General in charge of Headquarters, Muhammad Shu’aibu, among others.