By Tambaya Julius, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has stepped up measures to strengthen border security ahead of the 2027 General Elections, with renewed efforts to check arms trafficking, smuggling and other cross-border crimes.

The NCS National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, saying the service was working with local and international partners to revive coordinated border management and establish an effective one-stop border post system.

Maiwada said the initiative had already commenced at the Mfum border with Cameroon and the Seme-Krake border between Nigeria and Benin Republic.

He said the move was aimed at making legitimate trade easier while reducing illicit activities along the country’s borders.

“In the area of collaboration, the NCS is working both with international partners as well as local partners to see that we reintroduce coordinated border management to do effective one-stop border post framework,” he said.

According to Maiwada, the ongoing work at Mfum and Seme-Krake followed a benchmarking mission to the Beitbridge border between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

He said the mission was undertaken to study the border management system and identify practices that could be adapted to Nigeria’s environment.

“We want to learn the best from them and also execute it in our own local environment,” he said.

The Customs spokesman said the service was also deploying modern technology to strengthen border surveillance and prevent the entry of items that could threaten national security.

He identified geospatial intelligence as one of the tools being deployed to improve the mapping and monitoring of Nigeria’s borders.

“Borders do not entail only the land borders; that is why we are introducing non-intrusive inspection technology.

“We are now marrying declarations with image analysis to make sure that items that are inimical to the security and well-being of Nigeria are not allowed into the country,” Maiwada said.

He added that the recent recruitment into the NCS was part of efforts to provide the manpower needed to effectively monitor the nation’s borders and tackle the movement of arms and other prohibited goods.

Maiwada also disclosed that the service was engaging border communities and other stakeholders through the Customs Community Consultative Forum.

He said the engagements were aimed at creating greater awareness about the dangers of smuggling and securing the cooperation of border communities in combating the menace.

The renewed measures come amid concerns over the possible movement of illicit arms ahead of the 2027 elections.

In August, the NCS Niger/Kogi Area Command handed over 189,000 rounds of seized live ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) as part of efforts to tackle arms proliferation.

Similarly, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, handed over 399 seized firearms to the NCCSALW in August.

Adeniyi warned that criminal networks could exploit Nigeria’s borders, ports and airports to move prohibited items ahead of the elections.

He said the NCS would intensify surveillance and enforcement operations to prevent illicit arms and other prohibited goods from entering or passing through the country.

The Customs chief also reaffirmed the service’s commitment to intelligence-led enforcement, stronger border surveillance and closer collaboration with sister security agencies to dismantle networks involved in arms trafficking and other cross-border crimes.

By Tambaya Julius, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has auctioned 22,175 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) seized by Operation Whirlwind along the Lagos-Ogun axis, with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N32.1 million.

The National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Deputy Comptroller Abubakar Aliyu, disclosed this on Monday at the public auction held at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Lagos.

Aliyu said the exercise was carried out on the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, to ensure transparency, accountability and proper handling of seized petroleum products in line with extant laws and approved procedures.

He said Customs operatives intercepted 887 jerry cans, each containing 25 litres of petrol, bringing the total to 22,175 litres. Five vehicles used to convey the products were also seized.

According to Aliyu, the seizures were made at identified smuggling flashpoints, including Imeko, Ilara, Ilaro, Idiroko and Seme-Badagry, following credible intelligence.

He put the combined DPV of the seized petrol and means of conveyance at N32.1 million, describing the operation as targeted and intelligence-driven.

Aliyu said Operation Whirlwind was focused on stopping the illegal movement, diversion and cross-border smuggling of petroleum products to neighbouring countries.

He said the NCS had stepped up surveillance, intelligence gathering and enforcement along routes identified as vulnerable to petroleum product smuggling.

The initiative, he added, was aimed at protecting the country’s economic interests, strengthening national energy security and ensuring that products meant for domestic consumption were not diverted.

Aliyu urged participants and stakeholders to follow the approved auction guidelines to ensure a fair and transparent exercise.

He commended the Comptroller-General and the NCS management for their support and strategic direction, while also appreciating the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for their continued collaboration.

He praised officers and men of Operation Whirlwind Zone A for their professionalism and commitment to duty, warning smugglers that the operation would continue to dismantle illegal networks through intelligence-led enforcement.

The Customs coordinator also called on border communities to provide timely information on suspicious activities, stressing that tackling smuggling required the cooperation of all stakeholders.

The Acting Commandant of the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Deputy Comptroller Patience Ita, said the Comptroller-General had maintained a zero-tolerance stance on the smuggling of petroleum products and other goods.

Ita, who hosted the auction, said the exercise should serve as a warning to smugglers, noting that even small-scale diversion of petroleum products could have serious consequences for the national economy.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC Ltd.) recorded N7.2 trillion Profit After Tax (PAT) in 2025, a 33 per cent increase from N5.4 trillion.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a media briefing after the company’s AGM and second Earnings Call.

Revenue declined to N34.

Ojulari attributed the 24 per cent revenue decline to lower crude oil prices and reduced product volumes following market deregulation.

He said earnings per share rose to N35.

The company’s declared dividend increased by 35 per cent to N5.8 trillion, while taxes, royalties and other government remittances rose 39 per cent to N22.3 trillion.

 “Stronger earnings in spite of this pressure demonstrate the resilience of NNPC Limited’s operations,” Ojulari said.

He said profit grew because NNPC had improved its operations and maintained discipline across its businesses.

Ojulari said crude oil and condensate production reached a five-year peak of 1.77 million barrels per day.

He added that gas supply reached a three-year high of 7.2 billion standard cubic feet per day.

“Stronger performance gives NNPC Limited more capacity to invest, contribute to public revenue and strengthen Nigeria’s energy security,” he said.

On infrastructure, Ojulari said the mainline of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline had been completed.

He said work was ongoing on tie-ins to delivery points, beginning with Abuja, followed by Ajaokuta and Kaduna.

According to him, the next milestone is to commence gas flow through the pipeline to industries and power plants.

Ojulari said the company completed the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline in 2026 after several years of challenges.

On the refineries, he said prospective partners under NNPC’s technical equity partnership model had conducted a three-month onsite review.

He said more than 34 engineers participated in the review, adding that NNPC was now concluding the report.

Ojulari said the company was targeting self-sustaining and profitable refineries, with a pathway expected to be defined soon.

He reaffirmed NNPC’s target of producing two million barrels of crude oil daily by 2027 and three million barrels by 2030.

He said gas production targets were 10 billion cubic feet per day by 2027 and 12 billion by 2030.

“NNPC plans to mobilise over 60 billion dollars of investment across the energy value chain,” he added.

Ojulari said more than 1,000 newly recruited professionals joined NNPC in 2025 under its Talent to Value programme.

He said the recruits completed a one-year internship and training programme before being deployed across the company. (NAN)