The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’, Ikeja-Lagos, has welcomed Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Olukayode Afeni as its 30th Acting Comptroller following the retirement of Comptroller Gambo Aliyu.
Afeni formally assumed duty on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, during a handing-over ceremony held at the unit’s conference hall and attended by senior Customs officers, stakeholders, colleagues and well-wishers of the incoming and outgoing Comptrollers.
In his inaugural address, Afeni pledged to provide purposeful, professional and accountable leadership in line with the mandate of the NCS. He thanked the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the Service’s management for the confidence reposed in him.
The new Acting Comptroller said his administration would prioritise intelligence-led enforcement, revenue protection and the safeguarding of Nigeria’s economic and security interests. He assured that enforcement operations would remain firm, lawful and respectful of human dignity, while legitimate trade would receive necessary facilitation.
Afeni also called for stronger collaboration with sister security and law-enforcement agencies to combat trans-border crimes, including the movement of illicit drugs, arms, currencies, counterfeit goods and other prohibited items.
He further pledged to prioritise officers’ welfare, professional development and institutional discipline, while promoting sporting activities to enhance fitness, teamwork and work-life balance.
In his farewell address, the retired Comptroller, Gambo Aliyu, reflected on his tenure and highlighted the unit’s achievements in combating smuggling, revenue fraud, concealment, under-declaration, false declaration and the movement of prohibited goods.
Comptroller Gambo Aliyu now Retired alongside New Area Comptroller Federal Operations Unit Zone A’ DC Oladapo Afeni
Aliyu disclosed that the unit intercepted 779 smuggling attempts, involving more than 20,900 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 61 used vehicles, foreign poultry products, 4,418 jerrycans of vegetable oil and 12,606 parcels of cannabis weighing 6,194.3kg.
Other seizures included 2.30kg of cocaine, 76,505 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, 22 elephant tusks weighing 130.84kg, as well as thousands of used compressors and clothing items.
He said the seizures recorded during the period had a total duty-paid value of ₦13.075 billion.
On revenue recovery, Aliyu disclosed that the unit recovered ₦3.192 billion between December 10, 2025 and September 24, 2026, representing 798 per cent of its ₦400 million annual target for 2026.
He attributed the performance to enhanced risk profiling, stricter compliance checks, targeted examination of suspicious declarations, teamwork and collaboration with sister agencies and stakeholders.
Aliyu, who stressed that no enforcement agency could succeed in isolation, congratulated Afeni on his appointment and assured him of a strong operational foundation.
He urged his successor to lead with fairness, firmness, courage and sound judgment, while thanking officers of the unit for their loyalty, discipline and resilience throughout his tenure.
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