The Kano/Jigawa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it generated ₦63.08 billion in revenue between January and June 2026, representing a 7.4 per cent increase over the ₦58.39 billion collected during the corresponding period in 2025. The Acting Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Usman Adamu, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the Customs House in Bompai, Kano.
According to Adamu, the improved revenue performance was achieved despite a decline in cargo throughput, with the Kano Free Trade Zone contributing more than ₦26 billion in the first six months of the year. He noted that the Free Trade Zone’s contribution exceeded its total revenue for the whole of 2025 by about ₦4 billion, while the Command also recovered approximately ₦3 billion through the enforcement of transit procedures.
Adamu attributed the achievements to deliberate operational strategies, intelligence-led enforcement, and stronger collaboration with other security agencies, saying the Command remains committed to enhancing revenue generation, suppressing smuggling, and protecting Nigeria’s economy.
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The seized items included unregistered pharmaceuticals such as tramadol and pregabalin; four air pistols imported in violation of the Firearms Act; elephant tusks and other endangered wildlife products; more than 2,000 kegs of foreign refined vegetable oil; military equipment; 14 transit containers diverted in breach of customs procedures; smuggled vehicles; an RX Drone Camera GPS imported without the required End User Certificate; foreign pasta and rice; and counterfeit agrochemical packaging materials, among other prohibited goods.
He disclosed that 22 suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures, with some handed over to relevant agencies for further investigation while others remain on administrative bail. According to Adamu, the total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seizures stood at ₦1.71 billion.
He also revealed that operatives at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport intercepted undeclared foreign currencies and negotiable instruments, including 568,100 US dollars, 134,256 Saudi Riyals, 28 Chinese Yuan, 20 Ghanaian cedi, and 35 kilogrammes of silver bars valued at ₦175 million, all in contravention of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2022.
The Acting Controller said the Command’s performance was driven by reforms such as an end-to-end transit monitoring system, improved border revenue collection, enhanced intelligence surveillance, streamlined cargo clearance processes, strengthened operations at the Kano Free Trade Zone, and the deployment of a real-time revenue monitoring dashboard.