A former controller of the Nigeria Customs Service at the Seme Area Command has been accused of ordering the detention of the chairman of a licensed clearing agents’ compliance taskforce after the man raised concerns about an alleged plan to smuggle large quantities of contraband into Nigeria.
Adamu Sambo Muhammad, chairman of the National Compliance Joint Taskforce of Licensed Clearing Agents (NCJTFLCA), said that he and two other members of his organisation spent three days in a Customs cell following his complaint. He said the incident occurred after he contacted Comptroller Wale Adenuga, now retired, to warn of hundreds of vehicles allegedly preparing to move smuggled goods across the border.
Muhammad said his group counted between 800 and 900 vehicles, including semi-trailers and modified smaller vehicles, which they believed were being used to transport rice and other prohibited commodities. He claimed he called Adenuga that evening to report the conduct of some Customs officers and the suspected operation. According to Muhammad, Adenuga apologised and assured him that no contraband would pass.
The following day, Muhammad said, he and colleagues visited Adenuga’s office and were detained. He said they were accused of illegal data collection and obstructing legitimate trade. One of the detainees, identified as Alhaji Muftau, developed high blood pressure that reached 179, Muhammad stated.
Muhammad alleged that a Customs officer, Mohammed Abdul Fakai, later demanded ₦500,000 for their release, which was negotiated down to ₦200,000.
Documents obtained by SaharaReporters show a transfer of that amount to an Access Bank account in Fakai’s name with the narration “Bail from Customs custody.” Muhammad said the payment was made before the three men were freed. He further claimed they were made to sign an undertaking and that he was photographed holding a placard stating his alleged offence. After their detention, he alleged, the suspected contraband was released.
Dr Basil Nwolisa, president of the NCJTFLCA, supported the account. He alleged that large-scale smuggling of rice, tramadol and other illicit goods routinely occurs at border stations, often hidden under legitimate cargo and moved at night. He said the organisation had passed intelligence about an expected consignment to Customs and that some officers were collaborating with smugglers. Nwolisa stated that Muhammad’s detention followed his report to Adenuga and that the ₦200,000 was collected through the account of the border’s legal officer.
Nwolisa said the group later petitioned the Comptroller-General of Customs. He also alleged that some individuals who later claimed to represent the organisation were not licensed clearing agents and that one had links to smuggling. In a separate claim, Nwolisa said he had heard that the officer whose account received the ₦200,000 had given about ₦40 million to superior officers, though he stressed he could not confirm the report.
Adenuga confirmed that Muhammad was arrested and detained at the Seme border but denied any link to the ₦200,000 payment, calling the allegation “an absolute lie.” He said the men had blocked an international route and were arrested by the police. Adenuga maintained that every consignment released during his tenure had paid the appropriate duties into the Federation Account.
He added that a legal adviser for the detainees later visited his office and acknowledged they had acted wrongly. Adenuga said the individuals had also fought among themselves at the border, prompting security intervention. He noted that he left the command several months earlier and described the claims against him as fallacies, while urging further investigation.
The Nigeria Customs Service did not respond to requests for comment. Efforts to reach the service’s national public relations officer, Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, were unsuccessful.
In a related earlier development, SaharaReporters reported in May 2026 that Adenuga had been arrested by operatives linked to the Office of the National Security Adviser over an alleged illegal entry point along the Nigeria-Benin border. Sources said the operation involved creating a corridor through the international border fence.
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