The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and stakeholders in the aviation industry have pledged to strengthen collaboration to curb illicit financial flows through the nation’s airports and safeguard Nigeria’s economic and security interests.
The commitment was made as stakeholders called for increased awareness and compliance with regulations governing the movement of currency and other monetary instruments across Nigeria’s borders.
According to a statement released on Monday, the agreement was reached on August 18, 2026, at the close of a two-day workshop on cross-border financial flows held in Lagos, where participants examined measures for strengthening controls and compliance within the aviation sector.
The Head of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Unit of the NCS, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Masud Salihu, said the initiative was part of the mandate of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, to expand sensitisation on border processes, formalities and control measures.
Salihu stressed that increasing travellers’ awareness of currency declaration requirements was essential to promoting compliance and protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s financial system.
“It is crucial to protect the integrity of our country. We must disrupt any channel for money laundering and terrorism financing across our borders. As long as this fight continues, our engagement with stakeholders will continue,” he said.
He said participants gained a better understanding of their responsibilities under the Currency Declaration Regime, adding that feedback from the workshop would assist the Service in developing strategies to improve border processes and provide travellers with a more seamless and efficient experience.
The Customs official acknowledged the Global Centre on Cooperative Security (GCCS) and the United States Department of State for funding the workshop, noting that international partnerships remained important to strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to combat illicit financial flows.
He also commended other partner agencies for their collaboration and support in advancing the fight against financial crimes.
The key facilitator of the workshop, Wonder Kapofu, commended the Federal Government for its commitment to addressing challenges associated with currency declaration and
cross-border financial flows.
Kapofu described the engagement as significant, noting that it was among the few initiatives in the region where a public institution had spearheaded private-sector stakeholder engagement within the aviation sector on cross-border financial flows.
Participants described the workshop as impactful, stressing that collective responsibility and sustained collaboration among relevant agencies and aviation stakeholders were essential to consolidating Nigeria’s gains after its exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.