Nigeria Faces Rising Cocaine and Heroin Trafficking from Brazil and Europe

By: Zagazola Makama

Nigeria is increasingly facing a severe public security challenge as Brazilian hard drugs, particularly cocaine and heroin, continue to inundate the country’s ports, airports, and border corridors. The recent case of the Brazilian vessel MV San Antonio, intercepted at Apapa Port in Lagos carrying 25.5 kilograms of cocaine, is emblematic of a broader trend of transnational drug trafficking that links Latin American production hubs to West African transit zones and ultimately to European consumer markets.

This phenomenon is neither isolated nor new, but rather a symptom of systemic weaknesses in global and regional law enforcement, as well as Nigeria’s strategic vulnerabilities. The movement of Brazilian cocaine into Nigeria is facilitated by highly sophisticated criminal networks, often led by organized syndicates such as the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). This group, historically rooted in Brazil, has expanded its reach globally, leveraging logistical expertise, clandestine shipping routes, and advanced concealment methods to circumvent law enforcement.

In the MV San Antonio case, cocaine was hidden within a bulk sugar consignment, a method indicative of meticulous planning and an understanding of Nigeria’s import screening vulnerabilities. Such concealment illustrates the deliberate targeting of legitimate trade routes, which are difficult to monitor comprehensively due to high volumes of maritime traffic, understaffed customs units, and limited technological infrastructure.

It was revealed that these criminal networks operate through a complex value chain. The networks rely on intermediaries, “couriers,” and complicit port operators to facilitate the movement of narcotics from production centers in Brazil to consumer markets in Europe. Nigeria’s status as a populous West African nation with busy ports and an extensive informal economy makes it a particularly attractive node for transshipment.

Cocaine trafficking between Brazil and West Africa stretches back to at least three decade, Initially, West Africa played a minor role in the global cocaine trade, serving as a peripheral transit point. However, as cocaine cultivation in South America surged and European consumption increased, West African ports became strategic nodes.

Data show that by 2019, Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra Leone had become prominent transit points for cocaine seized in Brazil. In 2021 alone, cultivation in Latin America reached record levels, and West Africa witnessed unprecedented seizures amounting to 24 tonnes, reflecting both the scale of trafficking and the intensification of smuggling efforts through the region. Intelligence indicates that traffickers exploit weak regulatory oversight, porous borders, and high demand in Europe to ensure a continuous flow of narcotics into the region.

The inflow of Brazilian hard drugs into Nigeria has profound security, economic, and social ramifications: The illicit trade fuels organized crime, armed gangs, and violent conflicts across Nigeria. Groups involved in smuggling often engage in kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery, and inter-gang rivalries, contributing to the insecurity in the country. Drug proceeds are also frequently laundered through Nigeria’s informal economy and eventually funneled into formal financial institutions, undermining financial integrity and facilitating other criminal enterprises.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and ECOWAS have highlighted the nexus between drug trafficking and money laundering as a critical risk to economic stability. Increasing availability of cocaine and heroin exposes young people to addiction and associated social pathologies. Nigeria’s youth, particularly in coastal and urban areas, are highly vulnerable due to unemployment, weak social safety nets, and peer influence. The involvement of foreign vessels and nationals complicates enforcement and prosecution, potentially creating diplomatic tensions if due process is not meticulously followed. The reliance on multi-agency collaboration, including customs, NDLEA, and police, is essential but often hindered by bureaucratic inefficiencies.

Despite notable seizures like that of the MV San Antonio and airport arrests of Brazil-returnees concealing heroin and cocaine, systemic weaknesses persist: Apapa Port and Murtala Muhammed International Airport remain high-risk entry points due to inadequate scanning technology, insufficient manpower, and procedural bottlenecks. Smugglers exploit these gaps with increasingly sophisticated concealment methods. While intelligence-led operations have improved, Nigerian agencies still face challenges in real-time monitoring, cross-border data sharing, and predictive threat analysis.

Prosecuting transnational cases involves navigating complex legal frameworks, multiple jurisdictions, and ensuring adherence to human rights standards, especially for foreign nationals. The need for continued detention, as granted in the MV San Antonio case, illustrates both the procedural complexities and the necessity for investigative thoroughness.

The influx of Brazilian cocaine and heroin into Nigeria is a multidimensional threat, combining criminal sophistication, systemic vulnerabilities, and socio-economic consequences. The MV San Antonio seizure and similar interdictions draws attention to the gains of intelligence-led enforcement but also the urgent need for sustained investment in technology, regional collaboration, and strategic policy interventions.

Failure to act decisively risks entrenching Nigeria as a permanent hub for international drug trafficking, exacerbating violence, undermining economic stability, and threatening public health. Conversely, coordinated, evidence-based, and proactive measures can transform Nigeria from a vulnerable transit point into a resilient bulwark against the global narcotics trade.

Nigeria’s fight against transnational drug trafficking is not just a law enforcement challenge, it is a test of national governance, regional cooperation, and the country’s commitment to protecting its citizens and youth from the destructive consequences of illicit drugs.

Nigeria Faces Rising Cocaine and Heroin Trafficking from Brazil and Europe

Nigerian Tax Acts 2025: Benefits Beyond The Rhetorics – Joseph Tegbe

By: Michael Mike

Nigeria’s ongoing tax reforms have been widely mischaracterised as revenue tricks, mostly through epistemic closure and motivated reasoning, solely focusing on revenue figures, tax rates, and who pays what.

These debates often miss the larger and far more consequential point of the reforms which are primarily about fixing a broken fiscal architecture, and laying the foundations for a modern, well-oiled economy.

What is at stake transcends mere improvement of fiscal space. Rather, it is about whether Nigeria can finally operate like a serious state that is capable of planning, delivering public goods, enforcing rules fairly, and sustaining growth without perpetual crisis management.

As a former Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG in Africa who supported reforms across various levels of Government, both national and subnational levels across Africa, during my career and with benefit of hindsight, I can boldly say that Nigeria’s fiscal failure has never been the absence of wealth. It has been the absence of structure.

For decades, the country ran a structurally weak fiscal system that was over-dependent on volatile oil rents, administrativelyanemic and fragmented, detached from the productive economy and largely disconnected from citizens. This produced a paradoxical state: rich in resources, poor in capacity.

Specifically, taxes were not embedded as a civic obligation or economic stabiliser. Rather, they were episodic, selectivelyenforced, and concentrated on a monolithic formal sector. The informal economy which forms the critical mass of economic activity remained largely outside the system, not by design but by institutional failure.

The result was predictable: weak fiscal planning, chronic deficits, poor service delivery, and a state forced to govern by borrowing rather than by policy. This is the structural dysfunction that the current reforms seek to correct. Thus, the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR; Mr. Wale Edun, the Honorable Minister of Finance and the NRS Chairman, Dr. Zach Adedeji must be commended. They are placing Nigeria on a strong pedestal for growth and development.
At their core, the new tax laws are about rebuilding fiscal order.

Firstly, they seek to reconnect the economy to the state. Nogovernment can plan effectively when it has no reliable map of economic activity. Broadening the tax net is therefore less about extraction and more about visibility and coordination.

Secondly, the reforms aim to standardise and modernise fiscal administration. A system built on manual processes, weak data, and discretionary enforcement cannot support a 21st-century economy that Nigeria desires to attain. Digital compliance, harmonised frameworks, and clearer rules are structural upgrades.

Thirdly, they are about predictability. Investors, businesses, and households do not fear taxes as much as they fear uncertainty. A transparent, rules-based tax system reduces discretion, rent-seeking, and arbitrariness which are long-standing deterrents to investment in Nigeria.

Finally, the reforms are designed to rebalance the fiscal social contract, becoming a tool for accountability. When everyone participates, albeit modestly, the relationship between citizens and the government improves.
Previous fiscal regimes suffered from conceptual ineptitude. They treated taxation as an afterthought, subordinate to oil receipts. When oil prices were high, discipline evaporated. When prices fell, emergency measures replaced strategy.

Prosperous nations have walked this reform road before.These are nations often referenced by “Selectively Empirical Commentators” who want Nigeria to get to their levels but suffer deliberate amnesia when reforms are mentioned. In their numerous rhetorics, the methodologically dishonest analysts often cherry-pick statistics to sustain an oppositional narrative while bypassing deeper and analytical realities of the referenced nations.

South Korea, emerging from war and poverty, deliberately built a strong fiscal state by formalising its economy and enforcing compliance before growth accelerated.
Singapore anchored its development on disciplined taxation, institutional integrity, and strict enforcement, long before it became wealthy.

Even closer to home, Rwanda’s post-conflict recovery was driven not by aid alone, but by a deliberate decision to build a credible tax and public finance system as the backbone of state rebuilding.

In every case, tax reform was not popular but it was foundational. Consistent with the experiences of the nations mentioned above, modern tax policy reforms are no longer blunt instrument for raising funds. Across these nations, other advanced and emerging economies alike, tax reforms are increasingly used to promote economic sustainability and improve fiscal architecture.

The Nigerian Tax Acts 2025 follow this well-tested global direction. By simplifying rules, improving administration, and broadening participation in a measured way, the Tax Acts seek to create a more predictable fiscal environment. This predictability is essential for businesses making long-term investment decisions and for households planning their economic futures.

A defining feature of a credible tax reform is the protection of those least able to absorb economic shocks. In many jurisdictions, tax systems are deliberately structured to shield low-income earners and small businesses, recognizing their central role in employment, innovation, and social stability.

Globally, this is achieved through higher tax-free thresholds, simplified compliance regimes, and targeted reliefs for small enterprises. These measures ensure that taxation does not discourage entrepreneurship or push informal activity further into the shadows.

The Nigerian Tax Acts 2025 reflect these principles. By taking away the tax burden on small income earners and small businesses, the reforms aim to preserve livelihoods, encourage formal participation, and allow enterprises to grow organically. Economies grow when small businesses are given the space to survive, adapt, and scale. For example, those who earned N300,000 in 2024 paid taxes at 7% while the new Acts provide for 0% tax rate for those earning up to N800,000.

As the saying goes in tax policy, one does not tax the seed, one nurtures it to blossom. This maxim lies at the heart of the Tax Reform Acts.

Another clear signal of the intent behind the reforms is the deliberate protection of critical sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture through the expansion of zerorated VAT items.

Around the world, governments recognize that these sectors are foundational to longterm development. Healthcare and education underpin human capital, while agriculture supports food security, rural employment, and price stability. As a result, many jurisdictions either exempt or zero-rate essential goods and services within these sectors to keep them affordable.

By extending the list of zerorated VAT items to include the critical sectors listed above, the Nigeria tax reforms aim to reduce cost pressures on businesses operating within these critical sectors as well as support access to essential materialsneeded for the wellbeing of Nigerians.

Perhaps, the most forward-looking aspect of the Tax Reform Acts is the emphasis on digitalization and technologydriven tax administration. Across the globe, tax authorities are embracing digital tools to improve compliance, enhance transparency, and reduce administrative burdens for taxpayers.

Innovative solutions such as einvoicing have become standard features of efficient tax systems globally. Einvoicing, has helped many countries improve VAT compliance, reduce fraud, and generate reliable, realtime data for fiscal planning.

Nigeria’s move in this direction signals a commitment to modern governance. A digital tax system is not only more efficient; it is fairer and more transparent. It lowers the cost of compliance, improves accuracy, and builds trust between taxpayers and the government. Over time, it also strengthens the quality of economic data available to policymakers, supporting more effective fiscal and monetary decisionmaking.

Conclusion: A Reform for the Long Term

The Tax Reform Acts are best understood as part of Nigeria’s longterm economic strategy. They are designed to stabilize the fiscal environment, support production, protect critical sectors, and modernize tax administration in line with global standards.

As with all meaningful reforms, their success will depend on careful, transparent, consultative and collaborative implementation. Government remains committed to ongoing engagement with stakeholders to ensure that the transition is orderly and that the objectives of the reforms are fully realized. This requirement sits at the core of the responsibilities of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee (NTPIC). As earlier stated by President Nola Tinubu, these tax reforms will be implemented with human face and full consideration of the Nigerian citizenry.

Ultimately, strong tax systems are not built overnight, nor are their benefits immediately visible. But over time, they form the backbone of stable economies, credible institutions, and shared prosperity.

Joseph Tegbe, FCA, FCIT is the Chairman of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee (NTPIC), and the Director-General and Global Liaison, Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP).

Nigerian Tax Acts 2025: Benefits Beyond The Rhetorics – Joseph Tegbe

President Tinubu Commends Zulum over dividends of Democracy even as he commissions new projects in Borno

By: Bodunrin kayode

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday commended Prof Umara Zulum for doing a good job even as he delivers series of new project for his people.

The President who made the remarks during the commissioning ceremony of several projects performed separately, commended Governor Zulum for his transformative leadership which is really touching the lives of the people.

“I congratulate the Governor and the people of Borno State for this transformation. Government is all about people, and Professor Zulum is doing a very good job of caring for people.” Said Tinubu.

Tinubu had Commissioned three newly constructed mega schools and a fleet of 620 fully electric vehicles and tricycles delivered by the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum.

The President highlighted the projects as tangible evidence of effective governance and a blueprint for holistic state development needed in times like these.

The commissioned schools include: Mafoni Day Secondary School, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Government Day Secondary School and Mafoni Primary School.

They are part of Governor Zulum’s ambitious 104 Mega School Initiative designed to drastically improve access to quality education and rebuild the sector after over a decade of insurgency.

Each of the school complexes is equipped with modern classrooms, laboratories, libraries, sports facilities and an administrative complex to create a conducive learning environment.

Earlier, the President had also commissioned the international terminal of the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Maiduguri, in preparation for the commencement of international operations.

Responding to the President’s gesture Zulum expressed gratitude for the federal government’s support and reiterated his administration’s commitment to rebuilding Borno’s infrastructure, economy and human capital.

President Tinubu concluded his state visit by attending the wedding ceremony of the son of the former Borno State Governor Senator Modu Sheriff’s, conducted at the Maiduguri Central Mosque in front of the Palace of the Shehu of Borno state.

The event was attended by state government officials, traditional rulers community leaders and a group of federal officials in the Presidential convoy.

President Tinubu Commends Zulum over dividends of Democracy even as he commissions new projects in Borno