The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has suspended one fully certified Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) over false declaration, marking the first of such enforcement action since the programme was launched last year.
Abdullahi Maiwada, national public relations officer of the Service, told BusinessDay the company, which was among the 51 firms granted full AEO certification, was caught under-declaring imported items, triggering an immediate suspension pending further investigation.
He declined to disclose the name of the suspended company or how much was declared, but said that the suspension was based on “preliminary findings” and could escalate to a full revocation if investigations confirm deliberate violations.
Read also: Only 51 firms get Customs AEO certification as applications see 26% success rate
The Service is already running a tight ship. This week, BusinessDay reported that out of 584 applications for the AEO status submitted before the January 31, 2026, deadline, only 154 firms cleared the Customs validation stage, a success rate of roughly 26 percent. And out of the 154, only 51 firms were issued full certification, in addition to 45 issued temporary admission.
With this suspension, that number has decreased. But the Service seems to prioritise quality over quantity. “AEO is a trusted trader programme. Once you breach any of the requirements, it affects your status,” Maiwada said.
Operators that lose their AEO status revert to standard Customs processing and forfeit all facilitation benefits, including priority clearance and reduced inspections.
The Customs officer also disclosed that the Service has recorded up to three cases of voluntary disclosure under the AEO regime, where companies returned to correct duty shortfalls after discovering declaration errors.
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“For [the company] to come forward and say, no, I am supposed to pay N10 billion, but I did N3 billion. That shows integrity and credibility,” he said, noting that such disclosures were treated differently because the operators reported themselves.
The AEO programme, introduced to replace the defunct Fast Track Scheme, is designed to reward compliant importers and exporters with faster cargo clearance and other trade facilitation benefits.
The Service said participation is conditional on sustained compliance, warning that certification does not shield operators from sanctions.
