The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced a nationwide sensitisation workshop for auto dealers, stakeholders, and officers on the newly introduced Customs Verification Management System (CVMS), a major innovation designed to strengthen vehicle verification and curb the circulation of smuggled or stolen cars across the country.
City Business News reports that the workshop, which commenced at the Ahmad Makarfi Auditorium of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja marks the first phase of a nationwide engagement to familiarise industry operators with the system, which also features a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Check App for instant verification.
Speaking on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the Acting Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Inspection, and Investigation, Timi Bomodi, said the CVMS was introduced to enhance compliance, reinforce national security, and protect the interests of traders and vehicle users.
Bomodi highlighted the operational challenges officers face during enforcement, particularly the difficulty of determining the legality of vehicles at first sight. He said the CVMS and its mobile verification tool were designed to close this gap.
“Our officers are not magicians, and it is extremely difficult to look at any vehicle and immediately determine whether it entered the country legally. That is why tools of this nature were introduced.
They make verification easier for you as dealers and for us as enforcers at the points of facilitation and compliance,” he explained.
He emphasised that the new system is not intended to hinder legitimate businesses but to promote transparency and create a unified national database that protects government revenue and the interests of lawful vehicle owners.
“With this system, we can trace a vehicle from the point it enters the country to the individual who eventually owns it. When data is protected from external interference, the likelihood of vehicle theft reduces drastically because verification can be done quickly, non-intrusively and with more accuracy,” he said.
He urged auto dealers to embrace the platform and champion its benefits within the industry, adding that the system would boost public confidence and demonstrate that Nigerian businesses are committed to due process.
In her remarks, the Commandant of the Customs Command and Staff College, ACG Oluyomi Adebakin, said the CVMS became necessary because the Nigerian auto market had increasingly become a destination for stolen or smuggled vehicles, which often change hands several times without trace.
“Stolen vehicles are being sold over and over again, and smuggled vehicles move freely within the country. This is neither ethical nor good for our national progress. If Customs does not step in, anyone’s vehicle could be stolen today and sold to an unsuspecting buyer tomorrow,” she warned.
Adebakin stressed that without a reliable database, law enforcement agencies, car dealers, and buyers struggle to establish legitimate ownership. She said the CVMS would help block the market for stolen or irregularly imported vehicles, disrupt criminal networks, and strengthen Nigeria’s internal security system.
She urged participants to take full advantage of the platform, noting that it shields dealers from unknowingly buying or selling vehicles tied to criminal activity.
“When dealers cannot trace the history of a vehicle, they become the first suspects when issues arise. This system gives you confidence and protects your business integrity,” she added.
The National President of the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON), Ajibola Adedoyin, also commended the initiative, saying it aligns with the association’s long-standing advocacy for a transparent and reliable vehicle-verification structure.
He noted that auto dealers have faced significant losses and reputational damage due to the prevalence of stolen or illegally imported vehicles in the market. The VIN Check App, he said, offers the opportunity to “reset the market” in favour of credible operators.
Adedoyin pledged AMDON’s full support for the rollout and urged Customs to continue its nationwide engagements to ensure all dealers understand how the system works and the benefits it offers.
