Nigeria’s Customs Service and the government of Niger Republic have agreed to deepen cooperation to curb regional insurgency, tighten cross-border security and ease the movement of transit cargo as part of efforts to strengthen economic ties between the two neighbors.
Nigeria Customs Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi announced the agreement after a high-level bilateral meeting in Abuja with a Nigerien delegation led by Customs Director-General Muhammadu Yaqouba.
Adeniyi said the partnership would focus on trade facilitation, protection of transit cargo, improved information sharing and stronger security cooperation along the shared border.
He said the initiative aims to improve the movement of goods destined for Niger through Nigeria, address security threats along transit routes and reduce delays on major corridors so that legitimate trade can better support economic growth in both countries.
Cooperation between the two customs administrations, Adeniyi said, is guided not only by geography but also by Nigeria’s international obligations, including provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that guarantee landlocked countries access to seaports.
Adeniyi acknowledged the logistical and cost challenges faced by landlocked nations that depend on neighboring countries’ ports and infrastructure. He said Nigeria would continue to support transit trade for its neighbors, including Niger, regardless of political differences, noting that trade, security and regional stability are closely linked.
Addressing transit bottlenecks, Adeniyi said President Bola Tinubu has approved the creation of safe corridors and secure passage to speed the movement of trucks awaiting clearance. He said transit cargo, particularly goods moving from Apapa ports and Nigerian airports to neighboring countries, would continue to be processed and moved within 48 hours without compromising security or economic interests.
He warned that strict measures are in place to prevent diversion of transit cargo and said operators who violate regulations would face sanctions.
“Noncompliance by a few operators creates non-tariff barriers and undermines trust,” Adeniyi said, adding that customs authorities are working to streamline documentation and remove avoidable delays along key routes, including Illela, Sokoto, Kamba and corridors linking Apapa ports and airports to neighboring countries.
Adeniyi congratulated Yaqouba on his appointment and said both customs services share a long history of collaboration through the World Customs Organization and bilateral initiatives. He described the meeting as the start of renewed cooperation aimed at lowering costs, boosting trade volumes and making regional transit corridors more attractive to transport operators.
Yaqouba said the visit was a working engagement between two professional customs administrations facing common challenges, including security threats and disruptions to transit trade.
He said the talks were prompted by the prolonged blockage of trucks transiting from Benin to Niger and by broader regional security concerns.
The Nigerien customs chief said Niger has intensified counterterrorism efforts since 2024 under Operation Saran Kasa, a coordinated initiative involving all national security agencies, which he said has recorded notable successes.
As part of the operation, Yaqouba said scanners have been deployed to inspect all goods entering Niger, underscoring the role of customs services in combating terrorism, arms trafficking and cross-border crime.
He recalled previous bilateral meetings between the two customs administrations, including one in April 2023, and expressed confidence that continued cooperation would produce concrete results for both countries.
