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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) generated N3.35 trillion in revenue between January and May 2026, driven by stronger trade facilitation, improved customs processing and intensified border enforcement operations across the country.

The revenue performance was disclosed on Thursday during a joint security news briefing organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja, where the service presented its operational achievements alongside other defence, security and law enforcement agencies.

Presenting the briefing on behalf of the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Titus Omajali said the service processed nearly 700,000 import declarations and issued more than 112,000 Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports (PAARs) during the five-month period.

What they are saying

Beyond revenue generation, Omajali said the service recorded exports valued at $1.218 billion, facilitated through 21,376 export containers, highlighting sustained improvements in Nigeria’s export trade.

• He explained that export performance recovered strongly after falling to $171.76 million in March, climbing to $274.83 million in April before reaching $275.90 million in May.
• According to him, the sharp increase was accompanied by a significant rise in export container traffic, with throughput more than doubling from 2,847 containers in March to 6,144 containers in April, signalling increased participation by exporters and stronger trade activities.

The Customs Service noted that the improved figures reflect ongoing efforts to facilitate legitimate trade while expanding Nigeria’s non-oil export base.

More insights

Alongside its revenue and trade facilitation achievements, the Nigeria Customs Service intensified enforcement operations against smuggling, illicit financial flows and wildlife trafficking.

• Omajali disclosed that the service recorded 122 illicit drug seizures, intercepting 375,457 units of narcotics with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N24.33 billion.
• He noted that narcotics accounted for more than 91% of all seized items during the period, with March recording the highest number of interceptions following major enforcement operations that resulted in the seizure of over 248,500 units.

The service also intercepted approximately $789,550 in undeclared and falsely declared foreign currencies across six separate cases involving currency declaration violations.

According to the Customs Service, the offences ranged from concealment of cash in passengers’ baggage and under-declaration of foreign currencies to the discovery of multiple Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards allegedly intended for illicit financial transactions.

In addition, the agency recorded 17 wildlife trafficking cases involving 104 live animals and 21 endangered wildlife species and products, including pangolins, African Crowned Cranes, worked ivory, buffalo horns and hyena skins.

What you should know

The latest revenue performance builds on the Nigeria Customs Service’s record-breaking collections in 2025, when the agency generated N7.281 trillion in total revenue.

• A major contributor to that performance was the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme, which boosted collections from participating companies from N1.222 trillion before certification to N1.585 trillion after certification—an increase of N362.79 billion, or 29.68%.
• As of October 2025, 51 AEO-certified companies accounted for 21.77% of the Customs Service’s total revenue, while customs duties paid by participants increased by 85.66%, driven by improved compliance and higher volumes of legitimate trade.

With N3.35 trillion already collected in the first five months of 2026, the Customs Service has maintained a strong revenue trajectory, alongside continued efforts to improve trade facilitation, strengthen border security and expand Nigeria’s export capacity.