CGC Adeniyi Tasks Customs Officers on Intelligence-Driven Operations

By Oluwakemi Kindness 

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has charged officers of the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) in the Service to place intelligence at the core of their professional duties.

Adeniyi said no modern security or revenue operation can succeed without timely, credible and well-applied intelligence.

A statement on Wednesday by Justice Spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada says Adeniyi gave the charge at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada, during the opening ceremony of a training programme for CIU officers.

Describing the programme as the Service’s first formal engagement of the year, the CGC said it is a defining moment capable of shaping the professional outlook and operational effectiveness of participants.

He urged officers to see the new year as an opportunity to make tangible contributions to the Nigeria Customs Service and national development.

Reflecting on recent global and domestic security developments, including military operations within Nigeria that resulted in the interception of arms and ammunition, Adeniyi said intelligence remained the common denominator behind every successful military or paramilitary operation.

According to him, Customs officers must understand intelligence not merely as a theoretical concept but as a practical tool critical to effective field operations.

He further advised participants to revisit papers already presented during the programme, noting that they contained essential guidance applicable to real-life operational challenges.

In his remarks, the Commandant of the NCCSC, Assistant Comptroller General of Customs (ACG) Dow Gaura, described intelligence as a quiet but decisive force in institutional transformation.

ACG Gaura said the capacity to gather, analyse and deploy intelligence had become indispensable in addressing emerging security and economic challenges, adding that the NCS has consistently invested in intelligence-led training as part of its broader capacity-building strategy.

He explained that intelligence underpins risk management, revenue protection, the disruption of smuggling networks and the safeguarding of the national economy.

Urging participants to approach the training with discipline and commitment, the Commandant said Management had provided experienced facilitators, relevant materials and a structured learning environment to ensure optimal outcomes.

Senior officers present at the ceremony included the Deputy Comptroller General of Customs in charge of Human Resources Development, Tijjani Abe; the Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Sulaiman Chiroma; and the Assistant Comptroller General of Customs in charge of Headquarters, Muhammad Shu’aibu, among others.