Adamu Sambo Muhammad, Chairman of the National Compliance Joint Taskforce of Licensed Clearing Agents (NCJTFLCA), has alleged that former Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, now retired, ordered his detention after he raised an alarm over an alleged plan to smuggle large quantities of contraband into Nigeria through the Seme Border.
Muhammad told SaharaReporters that he and two other members of his organisation spent three days in a Customs cell after he complained about the conduct of some Customs officers and warned Adenuga that hundreds of vehicles carrying suspected smuggled goods were preparing to enter Nigeria.
He said the vehicles included semi-trailers and modified smaller vehicles allegedly being used to transport rice and other prohibited commodities.
According to documents obtained by SaharaReporters, Muhammad subsequently transferred ₦200,000 to an Access Bank account belonging to a Customs officer identified as Mohammed Abdul Fakai, with the transaction narration: “Bail from Customs custody.”
Muhammad said the payment was made before the three detainees were released.
‘We counted 800 to 900 vehicles’
Muhammad said he was inaugurated as Chairman of the National Compliance Joint Taskforce on August 9, 2025, in the presence of Customs officials, police, Department of State Services’ personnel and other stakeholders.
He said the organisation subsequently began monitoring activities around the border to promote legitimate trade.
“We started operating at the border. We later discovered that there were criminal activities taking place, whereas we wanted legitimate trade to take place across the border,” Muhammad told SaharaReporters.
He said the organisation observed hundreds of vehicles at the border which, based on their observations, were allegedly connected to the movement of smuggled goods.
“On that particular day, I was at the border when we counted vehicles. We counted about 800 to 900 vehicles, including semi-trailers, which, according to our observations, were being used to transport smuggled goods such as rice and other commodities,” he said.
Muhammad said he subsequently called Adenuga to complain about the conduct of some Customs personnel and warn him of the suspected smuggling operation.
“That evening, I called the Controller Wale Adenuga. I complained to him about the misconduct of some of his men and also informed him that there would be massive smuggling that night,” he said.
According to Muhammad, Adenuga apologised over the conduct of his officers and assured him that no contraband would be allowed through the border.
However, when Muhammad went to Adenuga’s office the following day with other members of his organisation, he said they were detained.
“They started asking me a lot of questions. They detained me, but the following day they said they would take me to court,” he said.
Muhammad said the three men were eventually kept in custody for three days.
According to him, they were accused of illegal collection of data and obstruction of legitimate trade.
“One of us had a blood pressure problem. His blood pressure rose to 179. Alhaji Muftau’s blood pressure reached 179,” he said.
‘They initially demanded ₦500,000’
Muhammad alleged that Customs officer Mohammed Abdul Fakai later told them they could be released on payment of money.
“He initially demanded ₦500,000. Eventually, we negotiated it down to ₦200,000,” Muhammad said.
He said the detainees were also presented with an undertaking to sign. When he initially refused, he said they were taken back to the cell.
Muhammad alleged that Adenuga subsequently ordered officers to collect their phones and belongings.
He said the deteriorating condition of Muftau eventually led them to sign the undertaking.
“We then decided that, in order to regain our freedom, we would sign the undertaking and pursue the matter through the appropriate channels afterwards,” he said.
Muhammad also alleged that he was photographed holding a placard identifying his alleged offence.
“After we signed the undertaking, he took pictures of me with the placard,” he said.
He said they were subsequently asked to provide an account number for the payment.
The receipt obtained by SaharaReporters shows a ₦200,000 transfer to the account of Mohammed Abdul Fakai, with the narration “Bail from Customs custody.”
Muhammad further alleged that the suspected contraband belonging to smugglers was released after their detention.
“After three days, the Controller released the contraband,” he alleged.
“That was when I began to understand what I said was happening there.”
‘Tons of rice, Tramadol brought into Nigeria at night’
Dr Basil Nwolisa, President of the NCJTFLCA, also alleged that large-scale smuggling had been taking place around border stations.
“Actually, on a good day, there is this criminality going on at the border stations, whereby tons and tons of rice and other products, including Tramadol and illicit goods, are being buried under the rice and brought into the country in the wee hours of the night,” Nwolisa said.
He said the organisation had received intelligence about plans to bring another large consignment into Nigeria using modified vehicles.
“So, when we got wind that this was going to happen last year, my men alerted the Customs headquarters at the border. We told them about the intelligence,” he said.
Nwolisa alleged that some Customs officers were collaborating with smugglers.
“But you know, they are collaborating now. They are working together with smugglers. They are helping smugglers,” he alleged.
He said Muhammad’s detention followed his decision to report the alleged smuggling operation to Adenuga.
“So, when he went to the Controller and reported the matter to him via a message, the Controller invited him for a discussion. On getting there, they were detained,” Nwolisa said.
“They were detained for three days. They collected the sum of ₦200,000 through the account of the legal officer at the border and released him on bail.”
Petition to Customs headquarters
Nwolisa said the organisation subsequently petitioned the Comptroller-General of Customs over the incident.
He alleged that some members later attempted to negotiate directly with Adenuga.
“When they returned, the three of them told us that they had gone to the Controller and that the Controller said we should just forgive and forget. He said we should bring in our own job and that he would do it,” Nwolisa said.
“I said, ‘No, we don’t operate that way. I am 64 years old. I am above this madness.’”
Nwolisa said the dispute later developed into a leadership crisis within the organisation, with some members purportedly removing him from his positions.
He also alleged that some individuals subsequently presented as members of the organisation were not licensed clearing agents and claimed that one had links to smuggling activities.
Allegation over ₦40 million payment
Nwolisa also made an allegation concerning the Customs officer whose account was used for the ₦200,000 payment.
He claimed the officer remained in service.
“I heard that he gave some of the superior officers about ₦40 million. You know, I cannot say that as a fact. It is alleged. I did not see where the money was given to anyone,” Nwolisa said.
He questioned why the officer had allegedly remained in service despite the incident.
“But for him to still be in service, it is not unusual for him to have settled his way to remain in service up to now,” he alleged.
Nwolisa said the organisation was preparing to pursue the matter through legal channels and had contacted the Corporate Affairs Commission over the disputed leadership changes.
Customs silent
All efforts to obtain a response from the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, were unsuccessful.
Calls placed to his phone were not answered, and he did not respond to messages sent to him seeking his reaction to the allegations.
Adenuga reacts to allegations
When SaharaReporters contacted Adenuga, he confirmed that Muhammad was arrested and detained at the Seme border but denied any involvement in the alleged ₦200,000 payment.
Adenuga said Muhammad was detained by the police and described the allegation linking him to the payment as false.
“Why is he linking me, saying he paid ₦200,000 into somebody’s account? That is an absolute lie. That is an absolute lie. Absolutely a lie,” he said.
“I left Seme over six months ago, or close to eight months ago, and this thing happened.”
He said the individuals involved had blocked an international route and were subsequently arrested by the police.
“They went and blocked the international route. Even the police arrested them,” he said.
“There were no goods that we released at that time that did not have the appropriate duties paid on them.”
He maintained that all goods released during his tenure at the border had the required duties paid into the Federation Account.
“There is none that passed through that place without paying the appropriate duties, which are accountable to the Federation Account.”
Adenuga also said a legal adviser representing the individuals involved had visited his office to discuss the incident and acknowledged that they had acted wrongly.
“Their legal adviser came to my office and was saying, no, in fact, they did the wrong thing,” he said.
He said he had attempted to resolve the matter peacefully at the time.
Adenuga further alleged that the individuals had fought among one another at the border, prompting security personnel to intervene.
“They were fighting. They were really, really fighting, and they even fought among themselves inside the compound,” he said.
He questioned why Muhammad was linking him to the alleged ₦200,000 payment and maintained that the claim was false.
“All these things they are saying are just fallacies,” he said.
Adenuga reiterated that he had retired from the Nigeria Customs Service and urged further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident at the Seme border.
Adenuga’s earlier arrest
On May 12, 2026, SaharaReporters reported that Adenuga had been arrested over an alleged illegal entry point along the Nigeria-Benin Republic border.
Top sources within the Customs Service and security circles told SaharaReporters that Adenuga was arrested by operatives linked to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in February 2026 following intelligence reports linking him to an alleged illegal smuggling corridor near the joint international border fence.
According to the sources, the operation allegedly involved breaking part of the international border fence and installing an iron gate to facilitate the movement of smuggled goods into Nigeria.
A video obtained by SaharaReporters showed a large gate with several vehicles and contraband goods parked nearby, allegedly waiting to pass through the gate.