The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has directed officers of the Customs Intelligence Unit to make intelligence gathering and application the cornerstone of their daily operations, stressing that effective security enforcement and revenue collection depend on timely and credible intelligence.

Adeniyi gave the directive during a programme at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Abuja, marking the Service’s first formal training engagement for the year. He described the exercise as a defining moment capable of reshaping the professional outlook and operational effectiveness of participating officers.

According to him, officers must approach the training with a sense of purpose, ensuring that lessons learned translate into measurable outcomes for border security and revenue protection. He said decisions taken in the field must yield concrete results in safeguarding the nation’s borders and curbing economic sabotage.

Drawing from recent global and domestic security experiences, Adeniyi noted that intelligence-driven operations—both within and outside Nigeria—have consistently led to successful interception of arms, ammunition and contraband. He maintained that accurate intelligence remains the common denominator behind every effective military or paramilitary intervention.

“Intelligence is not theoretical. It is the backbone of every successful operation,” the Comptroller-General said, urging officers to appreciate its practical value and apply it decisively in their duties.

He also encouraged participants to revisit technical papers presented during the programme, describing them as rich with practical insights applicable to real-world Customs operations.

In his remarks, the Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Assistant Comptroller-General Dow Gaura, said intelligence serves as a silent but powerful driver of institutional effectiveness and transformation.

Gaura explained that modern security and economic realities demand officers who can competently collect, analyse and deploy intelligence with precision. He added that the NCS has continued to prioritise intelligence-led training as part of its broader capacity-building strategy.

He noted that intelligence plays a central role in risk management, revenue protection, dismantling smuggling networks and safeguarding the national economy. Gaura urged participants to engage the training with discipline and seriousness, assuring them that experienced facilitators and relevant learning materials had been carefully assembled to enhance learning outcomes.

Senior officers at the opening ceremony included the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Human Resources Development, Tijjani Abe; the Deputy Comptroller-General overseeing Training and Doctrine Command, Sulaiman Chiroma; and the Assistant Comptroller-General at the Headquarters, Muhammad Shuaib