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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Tuesday announced a revenue generation of N1.7trillion in the first quarter of the year.
The Service, according to the Comptroller General of the Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi also seized goods worth N7.6bn for violating trade regulations.

Adeniyi who briefed newsmen in Abuja said that against the annual target of ₦6,580,000,000,000.00, the first quarter’s proportional benchmark stood at ₦1,645,000,000,000.00.

He added, “ I’m proud to announce we’ve exceeded this target by ₦106.5 billion, achieving 106.47% of our quarterly projection. This outstanding performance represents a substantial 29.96% increase compared to the same period in 2024, where we collected
₦1,347,705,251,658.31.

“ Our month-by-month analysis reveals even more encouraging details of this growth trajectory. January’s collection of ₦647,880,245,243.67 not only surpassed its monthly target of ₦548.33 billion by 18.12%, but also showed a remarkable 65.77% year-on-year growth. February’s ₦540,105,439,535.18 exceeded its target by 1.3% while achieving 19.97% growth over 2024 figures. March maintained this positive trend with ₦563,516,567,519.20, delivering 2.7% above target and an 11.22% improvement over March 2024.

“ These results substantiate our effective measures to curb revenue losses while streamlining compliant trade. The 29.96% annual increase and steady monthly collections confirm our strategy is working. We’ll maintain this momentum through rigorous enforcement and strengthened partnerships”.

On anti-smuggling, Adeniyi said, “The Nigeria Customs Service maintained robust anti-smuggling operations during the first quarter of 2025, recording 298 seizures with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦7,698,557,347.67. This represents a significant 78.41% increase compared to the ₦4,315,162,568.35 recorded in Q4 2024, demonstrating heightened operational effectiveness. However, when compared to Q1 2024’s
₦9,587,256,998.05, the Service observed a 19.70% reduction in DPV,

attributable to improved compliance through sustained stakeholder engagement and the deterrent effect of our enforcement activities.

“ Rice remained the most prevalent seized commodity, with 159 cases involving 135,474 bags valued at ₦939,309,698.00. Petroleum products followed with 61 seizures totaling 65,819 liters (₦43,336,160.81 DPV). Of particular note were 22 narcotics interceptions valued at ₦730,748,173.00, reflecting our intensified focus on combating drug trafficking. The Service also recorded three high-value wildlife product seizures with a remarkable ₦5,653,522,600.00 DPV, underscoring both the lucrative nature of this illegal trade and our commitment to environmental protection under international conventions.

“ Other notable seizures included textile fabrics (13 cases, ₦134,219,330.00 DPV), retreaded tires (5 cases, ₦104,599,000.00 DPV), and pharmaceuticals (1 case, ₦17,188,000.00 DPV). These comprehensive results demonstrate the Service’s vigilance across all categories of prohibited and restricted goods.

“ The seizure trends highlight several strategic priorities:

a. Continued emphasis on intercepting high-volume items like rice and petroleum products through enhanced border surveillance

b. Specialized operations targeting high-value wildlife trafficking, building on existing collaborations with UNODC and other international partners

c. Sustained focus on dangerous narcotics and pharmaceutical smuggling

d. Implementation of advanced non-intrusive inspection technology to improve detection rates
13. From rice to wildlife, these seizures show our targeted approach. While these results indicate progress in curbing smuggling activities, the Service recognizes the evolving nature of illicit trade. We remain committed to refining our enforcement strategies through intelligence-led operations, technological

advancement, and strengthened interagency cooperation to protect national revenue and security”.
The Customs boss added that trade facilitation remains a core focus of the operations of Customs.

According to him, “we continue striving to balance our revenue collection and enforcement responsibilities with the need to promote legitimate trade. During the first quarter of 2025, the Service processed a total of 327,928 Single Goods Declarations (SGDs) for imports, handling goods with a total mass of 4,910,640,283.33 kilograms and a Cost, Insurance, and Freight (CIF) value of ₦14,807,960,201,235.00.

“ This represents a 5.28% increase in the number of import transactions compared to the 311,492 SGDs processed in Q1 2024, reflecting growing confidence in our trade facilitation measures. The significant 40.14% increase in the mass of imports processed (from 3,504,173,117.33 kg in Q1 2024) demonstrates robust growth in import volumes, while the 26.72% increase in CIF value (from ₦11,685,677,810,129.00 in Q1 2024) indicates a shift towards higher-value goods.

16. In Q1 2025, the Service processed 8,153 export shipments (SGDs), representing a 6.4% decrease from Q4 2024 (8,710 SGDs) and a 24.4% decline from Q1 2024 (10,786 SGDs). Despite fewer transactions, export mass reached
5.03 billion kilograms – a 10% reduction from Q4 2024’s 5.58 billion kg but a remarkable 348% increase from Q1 2024’s 1.12 billion kg. The CIF value stood at ₦21.51 trillion, showing a 19% increase from Q4 2024’s ₦18.07 trillion while remaining stable compared to Q1 2024’s ₦21.58 trillion. This data clearly suggestive of Nigeria’s accelerating shift toward bulk commodity exports, with significantly larger shipments being processed through fewer transactions, while maintaining consistent total export value – reflecting both changing trade patterns and improved processing efficiency in our export systems.
“ The total trade value handled by the Service in Q1 2025 amounted to
₦36,317,925,576,290.00, demonstrating Nigeria’s substantial participation in international trade despite global economic challenges. This performance reflects

our ongoing commitment to implementing trade facilitation measures that enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global market”.