SR SahelReporters

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja.  The Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, has commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for its technology-driven reforms, calling for the adoption of Nigeria’s indigenous customs innovations across Africa. Mene made the remarks on Thursday, August 6, 2026, during a working visit to the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, where he described the Service’s digital transformation initiatives as practical African solutions to some of the continent’s longstanding trade and revenue challenges. The AfCFTA Secretary-General noted that several African countries still depend heavily on manual customs processes, which contribute to revenue leakages, border delays and barriers to the growth of intra-African trade. He said Nigeria’s progress in deploying technology for customs administration provides a model that could be replicated across the continent to improve efficiency, transparency...

By Aviashima Toom, abuja The Nigerian Navy says it has intercepted about 17,000 litres of suspected illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, in Rivers State. The operation was carried out by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder under Operation Delta Sentinel, the Navy’s ongoing campaign against crude oil theft and illegal oil bunkering. According to a statement by the Director Naval Information, Nigerian Navy, Navy Captain,  Abiodun Folorunsho in Abuja said, the product was intercepted along the Onne-Okrika waterways, where personnel stopped a speedboat conveying the suspected illegally refined AGO. The speedboat and the recovered petroleum product have been taken into custody in line with established anti-crude oil theft procedures. The Navy says efforts are also underway to identify and apprehend those behind the illegal operation. It says the latest interception is part of its broader efforts to disrupt the illicit petroleum supply chain, protect critical...

By Aviashima Toom, ABUJA  The Nigerian military has recorded major operational successes across the country, including the rescue of hundreds of kidnapped victims, arrest of suspected terrorists and logistics suppliers, destruction of terrorist hideouts and illegal refining sites, and recovery of arms and ammunition. The successes were recorded between July 31 and August 6, 2026, as troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria intensified operations against terrorism, kidnapping, oil theft and other forms of criminality across the country. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday on the military’s operations during the period. In the North-East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai foiled an attempted abduction along the Buratai-Kamuya Road in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State on July 31. According to the military, troops pursued the fleeing terrorists towards Mangari-Dora and rescued 31 persons, compri...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  ​The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has moved to deepen the Senate’s understanding of its ongoing digital transformation and operational reforms, urging lawmakers to review its legal framework to align Nigeria’s trade laws with rapidly evolving global practices. ​Speaking at a capacity-building retreat organised for the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariffs on 5 August 2026, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, stated that meaningful legislative oversight depends on lawmakers having a complete understanding of modern customs operations. He explained that the retreat was designed to bridge information gaps, enabling the Senate committee to evaluate the Service’s transformation from an informed perspective and provide the statutory backing needed to sustain its modernisation drive. "While some provisions had worked as intended, others had proved difficult to apply or had been overtaken by the rapidly changing trade...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified its security operations with the interception of a container concealing parts of over 140 pump-action rifles and the seizure of cannabis-infused products worth over ₦373.8 million at the Tincan Island Port Command.  Announcing the seizure at Tincan Island Port, Lagos on Thursday, 6 August 2026, the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed that the container, which arrived aboard MV VELIKA on 8 July 2026, was flagged by the Service's intelligence-driven risk management system for enhanced monitoring.  A thorough examination uncovered concealed crates containing knocked-down components preliminarily identified as JoJeff pump-action rifles.  The CGC added that investigations led to the arrest of two suspects, while another principal suspect remains at large and is being actively tracked. In a separate operation, Customs officers intercepted two 40-foot containers co...

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal refining in the Niger Delta, dismantling two illegal refining sites and recovering about 85,300 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude oil in Rivers State. The operation, carried out under Operation DELTA SENTINEL in the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni area of Rivers State, resulted in the discovery and deactivation of two illegal refining sites linked to ongoing crude oil theft activities. According to a statement signed by the Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho said personnel uncovered approximately 85,300 litres of suspected stolen crude oil concealed in dugout pits and reservoirs during the operation. The latest development comes only days after security operatives uncovered and deactivated similar illegal refining facilities within the same area, indicating continued efforts by oil thieves to revive illicit operations despite intensified securi...