Customs Strengthens Counter-Proliferation Capacity Through DTRA Training
By Bimpe Audu
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the United States Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), on 22 July 2026 commenced a Counter-Proliferation Team Training Programme at the Service Headquarters, Maitama, Abuja, to strengthen officers’ capacity to prevent, detect and disrupt the illicit movement of weapons of mass destruction, strategic goods and dual-use materials.
Declaring the training open on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Suleiman Chiroma described the programme as another milestone in the long-standing partnership between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Defence Threat Reduction Agency.
“Our sincere appreciation goes to the Defence Threat Reduction Agency of the United States of America for its unwavering commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to prevent, detect and disrupt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and other related materials through its International Counter-Proliferation Programme,” he stated.
Speaking on behalf of the Defence Threat Reduction Agency, Major Brittany Brown appreciated the NCS for its hospitality and reaffirmed DTRA’s commitment to sustaining the partnership. “We recognise the participants who successfully completed Phase One of this programme in 2024. We have now adapted the training material to reflect the Nigeria Customs’ perspective,” she said.
The training featured technical presentations by officers of the Service, who examined the evolving role of Customs in counter-proliferation and emphasised the need to institutionalise effective identification and control measures to prevent strategic materials from falling into the hands of non-state actors.
Participants were further taken through international non-proliferation frameworks, the regulation of strategic and dual-use materials, and the importance of international cooperation in preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
