NCS, DSS partner on fight against smuggling

NCS and DSS partner in the fight against smuggling

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has declared that it will continue to leverage its collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) to combat smuggling and proliferation of arms in the country.
Acting Comptroller-General of NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, made this declaration on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, when he paid a familiarisation visit to the Director-General of DSS, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, at the DSS Headquarters in Abuja.
Adeniyi, who appreciated Bichi for his warm red-carpet treatment in spite of the short notice, stressed that maintaining a mutual partnership between the two Agencies will go a long way in enhancing national security.
“I hereby extend the Nigeria Customs Service’s friendly hands to solicit your support for better service to our dear country, which will intensify border security across the country,” he said.
He also appreciated the DG for availing some of his senior officers the opportunity to participate in special courses at the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), which, according to him, broadened their capacity to effectively discharge their constitutional and professional duties.”
Responding, Bichi, commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi for his ‘notable’ resilience in carrying out the affairs of the Service since his appointment as Acting Comptroller General.
Continuing his address, Bichi affirmed that teamwork remains the basis for success in the fight against smuggling, financial crimes and insecurity, as no single agency could do it alone.
While highlighting that sustaining the Customs-DSS synergy will be a game changer in the counter-threat actions across border areas, he pledged that his office would continue to provide intelligence to the Customs Service to assist its officers and men in the performance of their duties.
He, however, vowed to make DSS facilities available for training and retraining of middle cadre customs officers.
As a mark of commitment to his pronouncements, Bichi immediately directed his relevant departments to urgently engage their Customs Counterparts for the required synergy to actualise national security objectives after which he conducted the CGC on a tour of critical infrastructure before the team returned to the Customs Headquarters, Abuja.