The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has tested newly acquired cargo scanners and electronic tracking technology in China as part of efforts to reduce cargo diversion, detect smuggled goods and strengthen monitoring of shipments entering and moving across Nigeria.
The two-week Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), conducted from October 9 to 20, 2026, at the facility of Chinese technology manufacturer Nuctech Company Limited, involved a delegation of technical experts from the NCS and Trade Modernisation Project Limited (TMPL).
The equipment comprises Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) scanners and an Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS), which are expected to work together to improve cargo examination and enable real-time monitoring of shipments from ports to their destinations.
According to the Customs Service, the technology is expected to reduce reliance on physical cargo inspections, limit human contact during examinations and make it more difficult for goods to be diverted before reaching their declared destinations.
The delegation was led by Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs Oluyomi Adebakin, who oversees the Information Communication and Technology/Modernisation Department.
Adebakin said the factory acceptance test was a quality-assurance exercise designed to verify that the equipment met contractual specifications and international operational standards before being shipped to Nigeria.
She said the deployment aligned with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi’s, strategy to use technology to improve trade facilitation, revenue collection and national security.
“The Nigeria Customs Service, under the leadership of CGC Adeniyi, is committed to ensuring that we deploy only cutting-edge, fit-for-purpose technology that will fast-track cargo examination, reduce dwell time, and enhance our ability to detect concealments and prohibited items, improve revenue generation, as well as facilitate legitimate trade,” Adebakin said.
The new systems are expected to strengthen Customs’ ability to identify prohibited items concealed in cargo while reducing delays associated with prolonged physical inspections.
Acting Comptroller of Non-Intrusive Inspection, Deputy Comptroller Umar Madugu, said the scanners and electronic tracking system would improve operational efficiency across Customs formations by reducing the need for 100 per cent physical examination of cargo.
He added that the technology would also help curb cargo diversion and minimise direct human contact during inspection procedures.
Bamidele Chinedu, General Manager of Trade Modernisation Project Limited, described the exercise as a milestone in implementing the Customs modernisation project.
He said integrating non-intrusive inspection scanners with electronic cargo tracking was central to establishing a more transparent, technology-driven Customs system.
Niu Chao, Project Manager at Nuctech Company Limited, said the Chinese manufacturer was committed to supplying the equipment and providing technical support, capacity building and after-sales services.
The exercise also included training for technical personnel from the NCS and TMPL on operating, handling and maintaining the scanners and tracking system ahead of their deployment in Nigeria.
The Customs Service said the training was intended to ensure effective implementation and long-term sustainability of the technology.
