The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Lagos Free Trade Zone Command, has generated ₦408,869,138,497.75 (Four Hundred and Eight Billion, Eight Hundred and Sixty-Nine Million, One Hundred and Thirty-Eight Thousand, Four Hundred and Ninety-Seven Naira, Seventy-Five Kobo) in revenue during the first half of 2026, representing a 28.85 per cent increase over the ₦317,322,735,712.06 collected during the corresponding period in 2025.
The Customs Area Controller of the Command , Comptroller Hauwa Abubakar disclosed this during the Command’s 2026 Half-Year Media Briefing, attributing the impressive performance to stronger compliance measures, enhanced operational efficiency and sustained engagement with stakeholders operating within the Free Trade Zones and the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
The Command also recorded its highest monthly revenue collection since its establishment, generating ₦87,102,845,714.51 in June 2026.
Providing a breakdown of the performance, Compt Abubakar said the ₦408.87 billion realised between January and June exceeded the ₦317.32 billion collected in the same period last year by ₦91,546,402,785.69 underscoring the command’s growing contribution to national revenue.
According to her, the achievement was driven by deliberate strategies focused on strengthening compliance with customs regulations, improving operational processes and promoting voluntary compliance through regular dialogue with investors, licensed customs agents, importers and exporters.
She also noted that the LFTZ Command, established four years ago, has evolved into one of the NCS’s leading revenue generating commands while maintaining its core mandate of facilitating legitimate trade and improving the ease of doing business.
The controller also commended the leadership of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for providing strategic direction, while praising officers of the Command, sister security agencies and stakeholders for their contributions to the record-breaking performance.
Looking ahead, she assured stakeholders that the Command would sustain efforts to provide an enabling environment for legitimate trade through transparency, professionalism and continuous stakeholder engagement, while working to surpass its revenue target in the second half of 2026 without compromising its statutory responsibilities.
Speaking during the stakeholders’ sensitisation on the significance of proper documentation in processing transire documents from mother ports to other terminals and Free Zones, Officer in Charge of Bond Seat at the command, Assistant Comptroller OA Omeka, said accurate documentation remains the backbone of customs control and efficient cargo movement.
AC Omeka noted that complete and authentic documentation strengthens revenue protection by enabling customs officers to accurately assess duties and taxes, while helping to detect smuggling, under declaration, document forgery and other fraudulent practices. He warned that missing or incorrect documentation could result in delays, increased demurrage and storage charges, financial penalties, cargo seizures and disputes among terminal operators, importers and Free Zone enterprises.
To address these gaps, he urged shipping agents, terminal operators and Free Zone operators to strictly comply with the documentation requirements contained in the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, particularly Sections 47, 152 and 153. He also called for regular stakeholder sensitisation, thorough cross-checking of transit documents before cargo movement and prompt reporting of infractions, stressing that proper documentation could resolve as much as 70 per cent of challenges associated with transit cargo operations while safeguarding government revenue.
