By Sandra Chukwunyere
The Nigeria Customs Police Command has won th football trophy at the 2026 Zone A Inter-Command Games after defeating the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command 1-0 in the final.
The Customs Police Command scored the decisive goal early in the first half and held on to its slim advantage until the final whistle, despite sustained efforts by the MMIA Command to find an equaliser.
The victory sparked celebrations among the players and supporters of the Customs Police Command, who secured the football trophy after an exciting and competitive campaign.
The football competition was one of the major highlights of the 2026 Zone A Inter-Command Games organised by the Nigeria Customs Service to promote physical fitness, discipline, teamwork and camaraderie among officers.
The games, held from August 17 to September 5, 2026, at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Lagos, featured 16 teams from Customs commands across Zone A.
Participants competed in four sporting disciplines — football, chess, badminton and table tennis — under the theme, “Fit to Serve, United to Lead.”
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, commended the leadership of Zone A and the organising committee for successfully staging the competition.
Adeniyi said the games reflected the three pillars of his administration — consolidation, collaboration and innovation.
He also commended the participation of sister agencies, including the Nigeria Immigration Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), saying their involvement demonstrated the spirit of inter-agency collaboration.
The Customs boss praised the participating commands for the creativity displayed during the parade, describing it as one of the highlights of the event.
He called for the revival and expansion of the competition beyond the zonal level, recalling that the Nigeria Customs Service had previously organised zonal games before progressing to inter-zonal competitions.
Adeniyi also called for improved sporting infrastructure across Customs formations, particularly facilities that would support the training and development of officers.
He said the Nigeria Customs Service had continued to contribute to sports development in Nigeria, with its teams and athletes excelling in disciplines including volleyball, basketball, football, beach volleyball and athletics.
According to him, improved sporting facilities would provide officers with greater opportunities to develop their talents while promoting physical fitness and healthy competition within the Service.
The Comptroller-General disclosed that the proposed new location of the Customs Training College in Ogun State would include suitable sporting facilities.
He added that efforts could also be made to provide temporary sporting facilities at the existing college to cater to the needs of recruits undergoing training.
Discipline, Teamwork Vital to Customs Operations
The Customs chief urged officers to look beyond the trophies and medals and embrace the values demonstrated during the competition.
He identified discipline, teamwork and strategy as important lessons from sporting activities, stressing that the same qualities were essential to effective Customs operations.
Adeniyi noted that discipline was particularly important in patrol and enforcement operations, while teamwork was critical to effective collaboration with sister agencies.
He added that strategic thinking was necessary for the Service to achieve its revenue-generation and trade facilitation objectives.
Earlier, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, Assistant Comptroller-General Mohammed Babandede, expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General for approving the games and providing the necessary support for the competition.
Babandede also commended the organising committee for bringing together the various commands and ensuring the successful conduct of the games.
He urged participants not to measure the success of the competition solely by the medals or trophies won, stressing that every officer who took part in the games had gained valuable experience.
The Zonal Coordinator encouraged the officers to build on the lessons from the competition, strive for excellence and return stronger for future sporting events.
The 1-0 victory over MMIA Command secured the Zone A football crown for the Customs Police Command, bringing the competition to a close with a renewed focus on fitness, discipline, teamwork and unity within the Nigeria Customs Service.
