At Apapa, Vigilance Pays: How Intelligence-Led Enforcement Secures Trade and Revenue
By Lod Onyeji _Premier Port Command turns seizures into strategy, protecting Nigeria’s economy from illicit drugs and leakages_ LAGOS — At Nigeria’s busiest port, the metric of success is no longer just what was seized. It is what was allowed to pass without incident. The Nigeria Customs Service, Premier Port Command, Apapa, says its model of intelligence-led operations is delivering two outcomes at once: intercepting illicit drugs and contraband while keeping compliant trade moving with minimal disruption. The approach is deliberate. Instead of blanket examinations that delay cargo and inflate costs, Apapa Command relies on risk profiling, data analytics, and targeted interventions. The result is a system designed to punish evasion without penalizing compliance. The Economic Stakes Nigeria loses an estimated ₦1.3 trillion annually to illicit trade, smuggling, and port revenue leakages, according to NESG and NBS estimates. Illicit drugs alone impose additional costs through health...
