The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has pledged to sustain Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, describing the development as a major national achievement that requires continued commitment and collaboration among relevant institutions.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, stated this on Monday, October 26, 2026, during a stocktaking meeting at the NCS Headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting was organised to assess Nigeria’s preparedness for its upcoming Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) mutual evaluation.
Adeola described the exercise as an opportunity to review the country’s progress, identify outstanding gaps and develop strategies to sustain the gains recorded in strengthening Nigeria’s financial integrity framework.
She stressed that maintaining the country’s improved standing required continuous evaluation and collective responsibility.
“It is an opportunity to take an honest look at the progress Nigeria has made so far, identify the gaps that presently exist and ensure that Nigeria’s achievements are sustained, because if they are not, it is like one step forward, two steps backwards, and that should not be our portion,” she said.
She commended the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for its initiatives and programmes aimed at ensuring a smooth and successful mutual evaluation process.
Adeola expressed confidence that Nigeria would not return to the FATF grey list, declaring, “I believe Nigeria will never go back to that grey list.”
She also highlighted the strategic position of the NCS in safeguarding the country’s borders and facilitating legitimate trade, noting that the Service had an important role to play in combating illicit financial activities.
However, she emphasised that achieving lasting results would require strong cooperation among relevant agencies.
“A tree does not make a forest,” she said, underscoring the importance of inter-agency collaboration in addressing money laundering and other financial crimes.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, Hafsat Abubakar, the Chief Operations Officer, Law Enforcement Support and Coordination, Emmanuel Sotande, thanked the NCS for hosting the engagement and providing an opportunity for constructive discussions with delegates and assessors.
Sotande said the stocktaking exercise would enable stakeholders to measure progress, identify outstanding deficiencies and strengthen institutional readiness for the next evaluation.
He noted that Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list was the result of collective efforts by relevant institutions and stakeholders.
“Nigeria’s exit from the FATF grey list in October 2025 was a significant achievement that we all achieved by working together,” he said, stressing that the priority was now to sustain the progress and demonstrate lasting effectiveness.
According to him, the NCS plays a critical role in Nigeria’s anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and counter-proliferation financing framework beyond its traditional responsibilities of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border enforcement.
He explained that the Service’s access to trade records, import and export documentation, cargo information and border intelligence placed it in a strategic position to identify suspicious cross-border activities.
“Customs plays a vital role in detecting suspicious transactions and activities across borders,” Sotande said.
He added that effective coordination between the NCS and the NFIU would strengthen the detection of suspicious networks, the tracing of illicit proceeds and the implementation of appropriate enforcement measures.
“When these capabilities are effectively connected through timely information sharing and coordinated action, we are better positioned to identify suspicious networks, trace illicit proceeds and support appropriate enforcement measures,” he said.
The meeting reaffirmed the importance of sustained inter-agency cooperation, effective information sharing and continuous institutional improvements in protecting Nigeria’s financial system and ensuring that the country maintains its progress in combating money laundering and terrorism financing.
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