The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Borno/Yobe Area Command, generated N622.3 million in revenue between January and June 2026, representing an 8.9 per cent increase compared to the corresponding period in 2025.
The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Abdullahi Idris, disclosed this in an interview with Voice of Nigeria (VON) in Maiduguri, attributing the growth to improved revenue generation, enhanced trade facilitation and intensified anti-smuggling operations.
Idris said his administration, which began on December 9, 2025, was guided by the three-point agenda of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, centred on consolidation, collaboration and innovation.
According to him, one of his first steps after assuming office was engaging key stakeholders, including government agencies, traders, traditional rulers and host communities across Borno and Yobe states.
READ ALSO: Nigeria Customs Sensitises Kano Stakeholders on Green Tax
He noted that the engagements strengthened cooperation and helped rebuild public confidence in the Customs Service in a region recovering from years of insurgency.
The Customs Area Controller said the improved relationship with stakeholders had enhanced compliance and accelerated cargo clearance processes.
“Once you speed up the clearance process, there will be more volume of trade, and with more volume of trade, more revenue will be generated,” he stressed.
Idris explained that the security challenges in Borno and Yobe required close collaboration with other security and regulatory agencies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Army.
He said the agencies regularly shared intelligence and operational information to strengthen border management and improve security.
“Knowing fully well the peculiarities of the command, we operate amidst counter-insurgency operations. We must collaborate with sister organisations if we want our work to be done successfully,” Idris stated.
He further revealed that the partnership had improved the command’s capacity to detect and prevent smuggling while facilitating legitimate trade activities.
The Customs Area Controller also said he organised a sensitisation programme on integrity and accountability for officers shortly after taking office, stressing that ethical conduct remained vital to building trust between Customs personnel, traders and other stakeholders.
According to him, the command had intensified the training and retraining of officers to keep them abreast of evolving Customs policies and procedures.
Idris further highlighted the Service’s ongoing automation drive, noting that the integration of relevant data systems had made customs clearance more efficient.
He said Customs offices within the command operated round the clock to ensure prompt service delivery to legitimate traders.
The Customs Area Controller identified insecurity, smuggling, intelligence gathering, border management and trade facilitation as major challenges facing the command.
Despite these challenges, Idris maintained that the command remained committed to balancing revenue generation, trade facilitation and anti-smuggling operations through sustained collaboration with security agencies and other stakeholders.
He added that intelligence sharing, professionalism and improved trade facilitation would remain critical to achieving the objectives of the Nigeria Customs Service in Borno and Yobe states.
