SR SahelReporters

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has repatriated a rescued female baby gorilla, Bili, to the Republic of Congo, marking what the Service described as its first full-cycle international wildlife operation. The NCS disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, by its National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, a Deputy Comptroller of Customs. According to the Service, the operation, conducted between September 22 and 28, involved the interception, rescue, rehabilitation and safe return of Bili to the Réserve Naturelle de Tchimpounga in the Kouilou Department of Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo. A Bili was rescued by Customs officers in August 2023 during an enforcement operation against wildlife trafficking and was subsequently placed under the care of the Pandrillus Foundation in Calabar for rehabilitation. The Service said a DNA test later confirmed that the gorilla originated from the Republic of Congo, leading to arrangements f...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  Comptroller Murtala Mu’azu has assumed duty as the 33rd Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), pledging to sustain the Command’s achievements in revenue generation, trade facilitation, enforcement and professional conduct. Mu’azu formally took over from Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba (Rtd) at an assumption-of-office and farewell ceremony held on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the Command’s Auditorium in Apapa, Lagos. The ceremony attracted heads and representatives of security and regulatory agencies, government institutions, terminal operators, shipping companies, customs brokers, business stakeholders and other partners of the Command. In his inaugural address, Mu’azu described his appointment as a “great honour and privilege,” expressing appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, PhD, fnipr, psc+, for the confidence reposed in him. He pledged to discha...

Ngutswen Offers a Different Leadership Conversation to Kwande/Ushongo At a time when political conversations are increasingly dominated by promises of quick solutions and sweeping declarations, Hon. Felix Ngutswen, the NDC candidate for the Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency, is presenting a different message—one centred on honest leadership, collective responsibility and a shared vision for the future. His message is neither complicated nor wrapped in political rhetoric. “I am not here to promise easy answers. I am here to offer honest leadership, shared sacrifice, and a common vision.” The statement captures what appears to be the central theme of Ngutswen’s emerging political campaign: that meaningful development requires more than promises. It requires leadership willing to acknowledge challenges, engage the people and work with them towards practical solutions. For the people of Kwande/Ushongo, the question before 2027 is therefore becoming part of a larger conversati...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the United Kingdom have advanced discussions to finalise a Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement (CMAA) to strengthen information sharing, compliance, and trade facilitation between the two countries. The Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) of Customs in charge of the Strategic, Research and Policy Department, Nafi’u Isyaku, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, during a high-level bilateral meeting with the HMRC delegation on Friday, 26 September 2026, said the engagement was part of efforts to conclude negotiations on the agreement ahead of its proposed signing in December. ACG Isyaku said the negotiations had been conducted virtually for about six months before the two sides decided to meet physically at the NCS headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, to finalise outstanding issues. “The meeting is to finalise our Custo...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has once again received international recognition for its strategic communication and stakeholder engagement efforts, with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, receiving a Special Award of Excellence at the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards in Athens, Greece, on Friday, 25 September 2026. The award recognises the Service’s approach to transparent communication, stakeholder engagement and ethical public relations in supporting the implementation and public understanding of its ongoing reforms, particularly initiatives aimed at modernising Customs operations, improving trade facilitation and strengthening institutional transparency. Receiving the recognition, CGC Adeniyi described the honour as international acknowledgement of the Nigeria Customs Service's reform efforts, noting that it would further encourage the Service to deepen its adoption of emerging ...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  Troops of the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have arrested three suspected terrorist logistics couriers and rescued 14 kidnapped victims during separate operations in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State. According to a statement issued on Friday, by the Theatre Command’s Media Information Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, the suspects were intercepted on September 24 while travelling on a motorcycle in Faskari. The military said preliminary interrogation indicated that the suspects were transporting ₦2.7 million, suspected to be ransom money, along with three mobile phones for onward delivery to a terrorist kingpin through intermediaries in the area. The suspects and the recovered items have been taken into military custody for further investigation, the statement said. In a separate operation on September 25, troops acting on intelligence about the movement of terrorists in the area reportedly ambushed a...