Herald News

Victoria Silvanus The Acting Customs Area Controller of Seme Area Command, Deputy Comptroller Norman Olisah Alumanah, has reaffirmed the Command's commitment to combating wildlife trafficking following the rescue of a live sea turtle abandoned along the Nigeria-Benin border. The interception, which took place at about 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, 2026, involved officers on routine patrol along a footpath linking Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. According to the Command, officers spotted an individual carrying a suspicious sack. However, on noticing the approaching patrol team, the individual reportedly abandoned the sack and escaped into a nearby bush. A search of the abandoned sack revealed a live Pacific Ridley Sea Turtle, also known as the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle. The animal was immediately secured and handed over to the relevant wildlife authorities for proper care, rehabilitation and eventual release into its natural habitat. Reacting to the interce...

Victoria Silvanus A new leadership has emerged at the Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, with Deputy Comptroller N. Olisa Alumanah assuming office as Acting Customs Area Controller and promising a more disciplined approach to border operations. For traders, transporters, importers and other businesses operating along the Nigeria-Benin corridor, the change in leadership comes with expectations of improved trade procedures, reduced delays and a more transparent relationship between Customs officers and legitimate traders. Alumanah made the commitment on Wednesday at the ECOWAS Conference Hall, Seme, during a handover ceremony where he officiallthmoreook over from the outgoing Assistant Comptroller-General Abdullahi Shuaibu Kaila. In his maiden address, the new Controller made it clear that his administration would not sacrifice legitimate trade in the name of enforcement, nor compromise national security and government revenue in the interest o...

Victoria Silvanus In a society where many women spend their days caring for their families, managing businesses and supporting their husbands, taking care of their own health often comes last. But the Customs Officers' Wives Association (COWA) is reminding women that they cannot afford to neglect their health, particularly when it comes to breast and cervical cancer. Taking the message beyond the walls of hospitals and lecture halls, COWA chapters across the Nigeria Customs Service have been engaging women, educating communities and encouraging early medical checks as part of the 2026 Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. The global theme, "Every Story Is Unique, Every Journey Matters," captures the personal struggles of women living with cancer, survivors and families affected by the disease. At the national level, COWA adopted the campaign message, "Inspect, Detect, Protect," to encourage early detection and preventive healthcare. At its na...

The management of Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos, has denied reports that it established a new task force to control traffic around the port gate, insisting that the publication misrepresented the position of the management and its spokesperson. The denial followed a report by Harboursandport.com claiming that the port management had set up a task force to tackle traffic congestion around the Tin Can Island Port gate. However, the Port's Public Relations Officer, 'Sola Adesanwo, dismissed the report as misleading, alleging that the publication wrongly attributed comments to him during a telephone conversation with the reporter. Adesanwo explained that when the reporter called him to confirm whether a new task force had been setup, he made it clear that he was unaware of any such development. According to him, he had only recently returned from his annual vacation and was attending to official duties involving the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council...

FROM LAGOS TO KANO: CHINESE TRADERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS NIGERIAN MERCHANTS DEMAND PROTECTION OF LOCAL BUSINESSES More than 50 years after Nigeria’s indigenisation policy, traders are asking a familiar question: Who should control the Nigerian market? Victoria Silvanus A fresh battle over the control of Nigeria’s commercial markets is unfolding, from Lagos to Kano, as Nigerian traders increasingly question the growing presence of Chinese business operators in the country’s retail sector. What began with protests by auto spare parts dealers at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex has now taken on a wider dimension, following reports that phone traders in Kano confronted Chinese nationals over allegations that they were selling directly to consumers at prices local retailers  At the centre of the dispute is a demand that Chinese traders should remain within their warehouses, manufacturing and wholesale operations rather than compete directly with Nigerian traders in ...

Victoria Silvanus A new chapter has begun at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Apapa Area Command as Comptroller Murtala Mu’azu officially assumed office as the 33rd Customs Area Controller, promising to build on the achievements of his predecessor while tackling delays that frustrate legitimate businesses at the nation's busiest seaport. The handover ceremony, held on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, brought together government agencies, security services, terminal operators, shipping companies, customs brokers and other port stakeholders who gathered to bid farewell to retiring Controller, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, and welcome the new helmsman. For Mu’azu, the assignment comes with both opportunity and pressure. Apapa Command is not just Nigeria’s flagship Customs command; it is also the country's biggest revenue-generating command. Under Oshoba's leadership, the Command set remarkable records, collecting ₦323 billion in July 2026 and achieving a single-day rev...