Customs Vows to Sustain Nigeria’s Gains After FATF Grey List Exit
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has pledged to strengthen its anti-money laundering efforts and ensure Nigeria does not return to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.
The Service described Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list on October 24, 2025, as a significant national achievement, stressing the need to sustain the progress ahead of the country’s next Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) mutual evaluation.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, made the commitment on Monday, October 26, 2026, at a stocktaking meeting at the Customs headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting was organised to assess Nigeria’s progress, identify existing gaps and strengthen institutional preparedness for the forthcoming mutual evaluation.
Adeola described the exercise as an important opportunity for stakeholders to review the country’s achievements and address outstanding challenges to prevent any reversal of progress.
She said the meeting went beyond evaluating existing policies and procedures, noting that it was essential to chart a sustainable path towards strengthening Nigeria’s anti-money laundering framework.
“It is an opportunity to take an honest look at the progress Nigeria has made so far, identify the gaps that presently exist and ensure that Nigeria’s achievements are sustained, because if they are not, it is like one step forward, two steps backwards, and that should not be our portion,” she said.
She commended the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for its initiatives and programmes aimed at ensuring a smooth and successful third mutual evaluation for Nigeria.
Adeola expressed confidence that the country would maintain its current standing and avoid being returned to the FATF grey list.
“I believe Nigeria will never go back to that grey list,” she declared.
The Customs official also highlighted the strategic role of the NCS in facilitating legitimate cross-border trade and monitoring the movement of goods, noting that effective collaboration among relevant institutions was necessary to achieve lasting results.
“A tree does not make a forest,” she said, emphasising the importance of collective responsibility in tackling money laundering and other financial crimes.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, Hafsat Abubakar, represented by the Chief Operations Officer, Law Enforcement Support and Coordination, Emmanuel Sotande, thanked the Customs Service for hosting the meeting and contributing to the discussions.
Sotande described the stocktaking exercise as an opportunity to evaluate progress, identify outstanding gaps and strengthen collective preparedness for the next assessment of Nigeria’s implementation of international standards on financial integrity.
He said Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list in October 2025 resulted from the collective efforts of relevant institutions and stakeholders.
“Nigeria’s exit from the FATF grey list in October 2025 was a significant achievement that we all achieved by working together,” he said.
He stressed that stakeholders must now focus on sustaining the achievement and demonstrating that the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures were effective in practice.
According to him, the NCS plays a critical role in Nigeria’s framework for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of proliferation, beyond its traditional responsibilities of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border enforcement.
“Customs plays a vital role in detecting suspicious transactions and activities across borders,” Sotande said.
He explained that the Service’s access to trade records, import and export documentation, cargo information and border intelligence provides valuable information that complements the financial intelligence gathered by the NFIU.
“When these capabilities are effectively connected through timely information sharing and coordinated action, we are better positioned to identify suspicious networks, trace illicit proceeds and support appropriate enforcement measures,” he added.
The meeting underscored the importance of sustained inter-agency cooperation, effective information sharing and continuous institutional improvements as Nigeria prepares for its next AML/CFT mutual evaluation.
