Customs, USPTO Deepen Partnership to Combat Counterfeit Goods at Nigeria’s Borders

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Zone ‘A’, has strengthened its collaboration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to enhance intellectual property protection, border enforcement and the fight against counterfeit and infringing goods.
The partnership was reinforced during a high-level engagement held on August 12, 2026, at the Zone ‘A’ Headquarters in Lagos, where officials of both institutions explored practical areas of cooperation, including intelligence sharing, capacity building, technology deployment and counterfeit product identification.
Receiving the USPTO delegation, led by Julie LeBlanc, the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Zone ‘A’, ACG Mohammed Babandede, reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to strategic partnerships capable of promoting legitimate trade and protecting intellectual property rights.

ACG Babandede receiving USPTO delegation at NCS FOU Zone A office Lagos

Babandede stressed that effective intellectual property enforcement remains critical to protecting legitimate businesses, safeguarding consumers, encouraging innovation and strengthening government revenue.
He said the NCS would continue to leverage intelligence, technology and capacity development to improve its ability to detect and prevent the movement of counterfeit and infringing products through Nigeria’s borders.
The USPTO delegation, in turn, emphasised the need for closer collaboration between intellectual property institutions and border enforcement agencies to tackle the illicit movement of counterfeit goods.
Key areas identified for enhanced cooperation include joint training, information and intelligence sharing, counterfeit identification and intellectual property awareness.

Comptroller of the Federal Operations Unit Zone A’ Comptroller Aliyu Gambo

Also speaking, the Comptroller of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘A’, Comptroller Gambo Aliyu, highlighted the importance of obtaining accurate information from manufacturers and supply-chain stakeholders in countries of origin.
According to him, manufacturers must provide destination countries with adequate information about their products, distribution networks and supply chains to enable border enforcement agencies to effectively identify and intercept counterfeit and pirated goods.
The engagement is expected to strengthen information and intelligence exchange between the NCS and USPTO, improve Customs officers’ capacity to identify intellectual property infringements and bolster enforcement against illicit trade across Nigeria’s borders.
The latest development further underscores the growing importance of international cooperation in protecting legitimate commerce, consumers and intellectual property rights while closing loopholes exploited by counterfeiters and illicit traders.