. Customs Controller General calls for vigilance against arms smuggling ahead of 2027 election
The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has challenged a member of the African Democratic Congress, Timi Frank, to substantiate his allegation that the Federal Government is plotting to assassinate former Vice President and African Democratic Congress Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
In a statement on Tuesday, the PCC spokesperson and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, dismissed the allegation, insisting that neither President Bola Tinubu nor the APC campaign council was involved in any plot to assassinate Atiku or any opposition figure.
In an open letter to US President Donald Trump and other international leaders on Monday, Frank expressed concern over reports of alleged plans to intimidate, arrest, detain or otherwise frustrate Atiku’s participation in the forthcoming electoral process.
He also raised concerns over alleged threats to Atiku’s life.
Reacting, the council also urged security agencies to invite Frank for questioning, stressing that any credible threat to life must be treated seriously, irrespective of political affiliation.
The APC PCC stated, “Our attention has been drawn to the statement by Timi Frank, a member of the African Democratic Congress, alleging that the Nigerian government is plotting to assassinate former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the ADC.
“This is a grave allegation that Mr Frank must prove. We thus urge security agencies to invite him to substantiate the allegation, given its gravity and the urgent need to preserve life. We also urge Mr Frank not to hesitate to provide any information in his possession that will enable a prompt investigation. Any credible threat to life must be treated seriously, irrespective of political affiliation.
“We categorically reject the claim that the Presidency of Nigeria or the APC Campaign Council is involved in any plot to assassinate former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or any opposition figure.
“The narrative that the security personnel attached to former Vice President Atiku have been withdrawn is totally false. The former Vice President is well protected by the police and the Department of State Services. Contrary to the falsehood promoted by Timi Frank, President Tinubu recently directed security agencies to reinforce and increase protection for all presidential, vice-presidential, governorship and deputy governorship candidates across the country.”
The APC Presidential Campaign Council said Atiku’s security had not been compromised, adding that President Bola Tinubu had ordered increased protection for the ADC presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 elections.
The council said Tinubu recognised opposition politics, recalling his role in mobilising opposition forces that defeated the PDP in 2015.
It stated, “The security around the ADC presidential candidate has never been compromised. As a former Vice President of Nigeria, he enjoys two levels of state-funded security protection. President Tinubu has increased security protection for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as a presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“President Bola Tinubu, as a statesman and an avowed democrat, recognises opposition politics as an essential part of our 27-year-old democracy. For 16 years in Nigeria, President Tinubu was the face of opposition, and he galvanised the opposition movement to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party as a governing party in Nigeria in 2015.
“Mr Frank’s claim is typical opposition rabble-rousing meant to heat the polity. Many opposition figures, including Timi Frank, have made it a habit to write open letters and tag foreign leaders and international organisations in social media posts to draw undeserved attention to themselves.
“As we go deeper into the campaign season, politicians and supporters will continue to make outlandish statements and frivolous allegations to gain political advantage.”
The APC PCC urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to make responsible public statements and ensure that campaigns remain peaceful and focused on issues affecting Nigerians rather than personal attacks and unsubstantiated allegations.
Meanwhile, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, on Tuesday said the use of intelligence, data and joint patrols with neighbouring countries was more effective in curbing smuggling than sealing borders.
Adeniyi spoke at the third Distinguished Personality Lecture organised by the TETFUND Centre of Excellence in Security Management, University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The event was held at the institution’s Trenchard Hall.
Speaking on the topic, “Why Customs Matters: Revenue, Security and Nationhood in a Borderless World,” Adeniyi maintained that the revenue generated by the service helped the government fulfil its social contract with the people.
He said, “Revenue, then, is the material base of the social contract and not just money. A nation that cannot fund itself cannot govern itself. That is the first reason Customs matters.
“The land border closure of August 2019 to December 2020 curbed some smuggling, but field research published this year found that the closure did not destroy the smuggling networks; it reorganised them. The lesson is that a nation is protected by intelligent control of its border, not by sealing it. Closure is a blunt instrument, while intelligence, data and joint patrols with our neighbours are sharper ones.”
The Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof Kayode Adebowale with after decorating the Controller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi during the programme in Ibadan. Photo: Ademola Adegbite.
Adeniyi noted that smugglers deprived the country and its people of revenue needed by governments to build primary schools, provide healthcare facilities and construct rural roads.
He said, “Customs revenue matters more in developing economies than in rich ones. In 2023, Africa’s average tax-to-GDP ratio was 16.1 per cent, against 33.9 per cent in the OECD. Large informal sectors make income tax hard to collect. Imports, by contrast, pass through a few points we can watch: seaports, airports and border posts.
“This is why trade integration must be pursued with our eyes open, since many countries that cut trade taxes never replaced the lost revenue. It is also why waivers deserve scrutiny. Import concessions were worth about ₦1.68tn in 2024, and in August, I called for a review of the waiver regime alongside the Customs Act.”
Describing the 2026 revenue target of ₦11.07tn as demanding, Adeniyi said the service would pursue it through improved compliance, data and trade facilitation rather than harassment at the ports.
He said the service would “pursue the target through compliance, data and facilitation, not through harassment at the ports, because a target met by choking trade would be a false victory.”
The Customs chief called for increased vigilance against arms smuggling, noting that the service had handed over 1,599 firearms seized between 2018 and 2024 to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
He said, “On June 21, 2024, our officers intercepted 844 rifles and 112,500 rounds of ammunition at a bonded terminal in Onne. They came in a 40-foot container from Türkiye, hidden among dolls, furniture and plumbing fittings. In February 2025, we handed over 1,599 firearms seized between 2018 and 2024 to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
“A pattern emerges: the large consignments came by sea, in containers, dismantled or hidden among household goods. This is security performed upstream. Every rifle stopped at the quay is a rifle that never reaches a forest camp, a kidnapping gang or a polling unit. As the 2027 general elections approach, that vigilance matters even more.”
In his remarks, the Director of TECESM, Prof. Benjamin Aluko, described the lecture as “one of the strategies to strengthen the accomplishment of the mandate of our centre in particular and to deepen town and gown collaboration towards solving security-related issues in our society in general.”
Aluko said the lecture was expected to provide “raw materials and evidence-based data that will drive robust intellectual engagement in security management and peace studies in particular and in social sciences in general.”
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