Protocols
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Inaugural Customs Police Summit 2026.
For the first time, the Customs Police Unit (CPU) has brought together the Service and its enforcement partners to ask three questions: who we are, what we stand for, and where we must go from here.
I thank His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his steadfast support for the modernisation of the Nigeria Customs Service.
I also acknowledge the ACG Headquarters, the Acting Provost Marshal, the officers and men of the CPU, our sister agencies and all our partners.
I stand before you in two capacities: as Comptroller-General of Customs and as Chairperson of the WCO Council. From both positions, one truth is clear.
Customs must facilitate legitimate trade and stop illicit trade, and it can do neither without a disciplined and trusted police unit to uphold its own standards.
Customs administration in Nigeria dates back to 1891, and a Preventive Service with an enforcement arm was in place by 1945.
The CPU was inaugurated in July 2019 with a clear mandate: to investigate erring personnel, prevent crime and ensure compliance. Its founding principle remains as true today as it was then: no officer is above the law.
I commend the Provost Marshals and personnel who have built the Unit over the past seven years.
Our history teaches three lessons. First, charity begins at home. Before we demand integrity from traders and the public, we must show it ourselves. Second, authority requires restraint.
The NCS Act 2023 gives us police powers, but every search, arrest and detention must rest on lawful grounds and withstand public and judicial scrutiny.
Third, enforcement in isolation fails. Coordinated initiatives such as the One-Stop Shop have shown that enforcement and facilitation work best together.
Criminal networks have grown more sophisticated.
They use the same routes as legitimate traders to move firearm components, narcotics, fake medicines, protected wildlife and illicit funds, often through digital channels.
Our answer must be smarter, not harder. WCO instruments such as the SAFE Framework, the Authorised Economic Operator programme, advance rulings, the Time Release Study and the Revised Kyoto Convention reward compliance and free officers to focus on real risk.
They also reduce the room for abuse and corruption.
Data is now one of our most valuable assets. B’Odogwu brings declarations, valuation, risk management and AEO processes onto one platform with reliable audit trails.
The INTERPOL Data Centre at Customs Headquarters gives us access to global criminal databases.
The NCS Act 2023 supports intelligence-led operations, joint border operations and mutual administrative assistance.
The CPU sits at the centre of all this. It ensures that discretion is exercised lawfully and that interceptions become successful prosecutions. Above all, it is the guardian of our integrity.
Every day, we must balance facilitation with control, enforcement with fairness, and authority with accountability.
Our path forward rests on three pillars: Consolidation, Collaboration and Innovation.
Consolidation means turning good practice into lasting doctrine: clear procedures for arrest, detention and investigation, court-ready case files, and professional development from recruitment to leadership.12.
Collaboration means working closely with the Nigeria Police Force, the Armed Forces, NDLEA, NAFDAC, DSS, ICPC, NAQS, our neighbours and border communities.
No single institution can defeat illicit trade alone, and partnership rests on trust earned through our own conduct.
Innovation means putting artificial intelligence, advanced scanners, geospatial tools and electronic cargo tracking to work for better investigations. Yet technology must serve the law.
Algorithms may flag risks, but only officers acting within the law can exercise enforcement powers, with audit trails, data protection and human oversight at every step.
Consolidation without innovation leads to stagnation. Innovation without consolidation creates disorder. Both need collaboration to succeed.
I urge this Summit to deliver four outcomes: a Customs Police doctrine anchored in the NCS Act 2023 and the Revised Arusha Declaration; workable protocols for joint operations, evidence management and information exchange; responsible guidance on the use of data and artificial intelligence in investigations; and practical recommendations on the training, welfare and recognition of CPU personnel.
To the officers and men of the CPU: keep what is right, repair what is not, and build what comes next.
The Red Beret you wear carries the trust of Nigerians and the reputation of the Service. Wear it with discipline. Wear it with restraint.
Wear it with pride. And never forget that charity begins at home, for integrity remains the greatest badge you carry.
I thank the ACG Headquarters, the Acting Provost Marshal, the Organising Committee and all our partners. It is now my privilege to declare the Inaugural Customs Police Summit 2026 open.May God bless the Nigeria Customs Service, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
