The Truth About Nigeria’s Customs Service and Smuggling

iexclusivenews – Fisayo Soyombo, a fearless investigative journalist, exposed the shocking truth about the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Channels TV’s “Hard Copy“.

He showed how the NCS, which is supposed to protect the country’s borders and trade, is riddled with corruption and complicity in smuggling activities.

Fisayo’s investigation took him to the frontlines of smuggling, where he uncovered a web of corruption that reaches the top levels of power in the country.

He said, “Nothing has changed. The Controller General of Customs knows everything happening.”

Fisayo witnessed firsthand how the system works.

He said, “It is impossible for that scale of movement of goods, of items… Trailers move stuff unchecked, labelled as ‘headquarters movements.’ Nobody could stop them.”

Fisayo revealed how smuggling is carried out with impunity, with bribes being the common currency.

He said, “The only guys who get caught are the ones that have not bribed anyone. A patrol team can be sabotaged.”

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The Mastermind Kingpin

According to Fisayo’s findings, IBD Dende is the kingpin of smuggling in the southwest.

He is allegedly involved in smuggling arms and ammunition into Nigeria and has close ties with influential figures in Nigeria’s security sector.

Dende is said to be friends with Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police, and Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (CGC).

Moreover, Dende’s connection with Bola Tinubu, a powerful politician, has raised suspicions about his clout.

“The biggest smuggler in the southwest is friends with the new Controller General… He’s politically connected,” Fisayo said.

The Hopeless Situation

Fisayo emphasized the difficulty of fighting smuggling under such conditions.

He said, “You can’t put a customs officer on the road, and then the customs officer is not free to stop the movement of trailers coming inside the country.”

Fisayo’s investigation serves as a wake-up call for the state of affairs within the Nigeria Customs Service, highlighting the urgent need for systemic reform to root out corruption and restore integrity to the nation’s border control efforts.