The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Police Unit has defeated the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command 1-0 to emerge champions of the Zone A Inter-Command Games’ football competition.

The football competition was part of the Zone A Inter-Command Games, which brought together 20 teams from the Customs commands across the zone to compete in four sporting disciplines — football, chess, badminton and table tennis.

The games, held from August 17 to September 5, 2026, at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Lagos, were designed to promote fitness, teamwork and camaraderie among officers.

Speaking at the finals and closing ceremony of the competition, the Comptroller General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adeniyi, commended the Zone A leadership and the organising committee for the quality of the competition and the colourful activities that accompanied it.

Adeniyi said the games demonstrated the three pillars of his administration, consolidation, collaboration and innovation, noting that the participation of sister agencies, including the Nigeria Immigration Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, reflected the collaborative relationship among agencies involved in maintaining national security.

The CGC also called for the revival and expansion of the competition beyond the zonal level, recalling that Customs had organised similar zonal games in the past and had proceeded to inter-zonal competitions.

He also stressed the need for improved sporting infrastructure across Customs formations, particularly training facilities, noting that the Service had made significant contributions to sports development in Nigeria.

Adeniyi pointed out that Customs currently has teams and athletes excelling in several sports, including volleyball, basketball, football, beach volleyball and athletics, making improved sporting infrastructure necessary to provide officers with opportunities to develop and showcase their talents.

Adeniyi said the planned new location of the Customs training college in Ogun State would include suitable sporting facilities, while efforts could also be made to provide temporary facilities at the existing college to cater for recruits.

Earlier, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, Assistant Comptroller-General, Mohammed Babandede, expressed appreciation to the CGC for approving and giving the go-ahead for the games, noting that the competition would not have been possible without his support.

Babandede also commended the organising committee for the work put into the successful staging of the games, acknowledging the efforts that went into bringing the various commands together for the sporting event.