Customs moves to prevent Nigeria’s return to FATF grey list

By Onu Okorie,

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified efforts to strengthen border intelligence and information sharing with financial crime agencies as part of measures to prevent the country from slipping back onto the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.
The Service said sustaining Nigeria’s progress against money laundering, terrorism financing and illicit financial flows would require closer coordination among Customs, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and other law enforcement institutions.
Speaking at an Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) stocktaking meeting at the Customs headquarters in Abuja, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, warned that the gains already recorded must not be allowed to unravel.
Adeniyi, represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, described Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list as a major national achievement that must be protected through sustained institutional reforms.
The meeting was convened to assess the country’s preparedness for its upcoming AML/CFT mutual evaluation, including identifying gaps in the implementation of measures designed to combat illicit financial activities.
Adeola said the exercise went beyond reviewing existing policies and procedures, stressing that it provided an opportunity for participating institutions to critically assess Nigeria’s progress and address outstanding weaknesses.
“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.
She commended the NFIU for measures taken to strengthen Nigeria’s AML/CFT framework, including the stocktaking exercise ahead of the country’s third mutual evaluation.
“I believe Nigeria will never go back to that grey list,” Adeola said.
According to her, Customs occupies a strategic position in the fight against illicit financial flows because of its responsibility for monitoring the movement of goods and facilitating legitimate trade across Nigeria’s borders.
She, however, stressed that the Service could not effectively discharge that responsibility without collaboration with other institutions, noting that “a tree does not make a forest.”
The NFIU also identified Customs trade and cargo data as a critical intelligence resource that could help Nigerian authorities uncover money laundering networks, trace illicit proceeds and strengthen enforcement against terrorism financing.
Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, Hafsat Abubakar, represented by the Chief Operations Officer, Law Enforcement Support and Coordination, Emmanuel Sotande, said Customs’ responsibilities under the country’s AML/CFT framework extend beyond revenue collection, trade facilitation and conventional border enforcement.
“Customs plays a vital role in detecting suspicious transactions and activities across borders,” Sotande said.
He explained that the Service’s access to trade records, import and export documentation, cargo information and border intelligence could complement financial intelligence generated by the NFIU.
“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.
Sotande said the stocktaking exercise would enable relevant agencies to assess progress, identify outstanding deficiencies and strengthen Nigeria’s readiness for the next evaluation of the effectiveness of its financial crime controls.
He said Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list represented the outcome of collective efforts by several government institutions, adding that attention must now shift from securing the exit to demonstrating that reforms are sustainable and effective.
The meeting therefore places renewed emphasis on inter-agency intelligence sharing, particularly the integration of financial intelligence with Customs trade, cargo and border information, as Nigeria prepares to demonstrate that its AML/CFT safeguards can withstand international scrutiny.