Afeni, new FOU Zone A Controller, professes accountability

Tough times await smugglers as Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Olukayode Afeni has promised stakeholders a purposeful, professional and accountable leadership as the Acting Controller of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos.

He also added that his administration would be anchored on three pillars of intelligence-led enforcement, blocking of all revenue leakages and protecting Nigeria’s economic and security interests.

Afeni made this declaration while taking over as Controller of the Unit from Comptroller Gambo Aliyu who retired from the Nigeria Customs Service after a distinguished career

According to the new FOU helmsman, “We will ensure that enforcement activities are firm, lawful and respectful of human dignity, while legitimate trade will be facilitated through constructive engagement with traders, manufacturers, importers, exporters, licensed customs agents and other stakeholders.”

He called for a stronger synergy with sister security and law enforcement agencies in tackling trans-border crimes such as illicit drug trafficking, arms smuggling, currency trafficking, counterfeit goods and other prohibited items.

On welfare, he promised officers and men of improved packages, continuous professional development and institutional discipline.

Afeni said that he remained grateful to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, PhD and the entire management team for the confidence reposed in him.

In his valedictory speech, Comptroller Gambo Aliyu, said that his tenure was both challenging and fulfilling, adding that his team focused mainly on smuggling, revenue fraud, concealment, under-declaration and false declaration.

Aliyu who congratulated his successor noted that the Command between December 10, 2025 and September 24, 2026, the Unit intercepted 779 smuggling attempts with a combined Duty Paid Value of N13,075,056,616.

A breakdown of the seizures included 20,900 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 61 units of used vehicles, thousands of used compressors and second-hand clothing, foreign poultry products, 4,418 jerrycans of vegetable oil, 12,606 parcels of cannabis weighing 6,194.3kg, 2.30kg of cocaine, over 3,000 jerrycans of PMS equivalent to 76,505 litres and 22 elephant tusks weighing 130.84kg.

He also disclosed that the Unit recovered a whopping N3,192,511,547.52 within the period under review.

The figure, according to him, represents 798 percent of the Unit’s N400 million annual revenue target for 2026 and a 776 percent increase over the N411,451,901.18 recovered in the corresponding period of 2025.

Aliyu attributed his success to vigilance, enhanced risk profiling, stricter compliance checks, targeted examination of suspicious declarations, teamwork and robust inter-agency collaboration.

He said “No enforcement agency can effectively achieve its mandate in isolation. Inter-agency cooperation remains critical in combating cross-border crimes and revenue leakages.”

The handing over ceremony was well attended by friends and well-wishers of both Afeni and Aliyu.

Afeni as the immediate past Controller of ldiroko command left a lasting legacy in across-the-border trade facilitation anchored on strict compliance with rules and regulations. Periodic set duty targets were overshot as ldiroko again became attractive to freight forwarders and shippers alike,while staff morale was visibly high.