Customs Vows Not To Return To FATF Grey List As Nigeria Prepares For Next Evaluation

By Stella Okocha

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has vowed to sustain Nigeria’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force, FATF, grey list, describing the removal in October 2025 as a major national achievement.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stated this on Monday, October 26, 2026, at a stocktaking meeting held at Customs headquarters, Abuja, ahead of Nigeria’s next Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism, AML/CFT, mutual evaluation.

Adeniyi, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, said the meeting was convened to assess progress, identify gaps and ensure gains recorded are not reversed.

According to her, the exercise goes beyond policy review.

“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,” Adeola said.

She lauded the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, for initiating measures including the stocktaking exercise to prepare Nigeria for its third mutual evaluation.

“I believe Nigeria will never go back to that grey list,” she said.

Adeola stressed that while Customs occupies a strategic position as agency responsible for movement of goods and facilitation of legitimate trade across borders, it cannot achieve results in isolation.

“A tree does not make a forest,” she added.

In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of NFIU, Hafsat Abubakar, represented by Chief Operations Officer, Law Enforcement Support and Coordination, Emmanuel Sotande, thanked Customs for its support and described the stocktaking as opportunity to strengthen collective readiness.

“Nigeria’s exit from the FATF grey list in October 2025 was a significant achievement that we all achieved by working together,” Sotande said.

He said responsibility now is to sustain progress and demonstrate lasting effectiveness in implementing standards that protect country’s financial integrity.

Sotande noted that Customs role in anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and counter-proliferation goes beyond revenue collection and border enforcement.

“Customs plays a vital role in detecting suspicious transactions and activities across borders,” he said.

He explained that Customs access to trade records, import and export documentation, cargo information and border intelligence complements financial intelligence gathered by 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 said.