NCS Medical Corps Extend First Aid Training to Apapa Area Command

ZAINAB JUNAID

As part of the ongoing efforts to equip its workforce with essential life saving skills, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) medical team has extended its First Aid capacity building programme to Apapa Area Command.

Led by its Team Lead, who is also the Zonal Medical Officer for Zone B, Comptroller A.S Aku, the Corps commenced an intensive training for Officers and Men of Apapa Command at its auditorium on Monday 24 November 2025.

The team was warmly received by the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, who commended the training initiative, emphasising that it reflects the priority placed on staff welfare by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR.

He also described the programme as a crucial investment in workplace safety and operational readiness.

According to the Area Controller, “First aid knowledge is a universal life skill that every adult should possess, especially Officers who are frequently exposed to high-risk operational environments”.

“Simple but timely interventions such as; CPR, bleeding control, choking relief and stroke recognition often determine whether a victim survives, fully recovers, or suffers preventable long-term damage,” he added, but warned that the absence of first aid capability during emergencies could lead to avoidable tragedies.

Oshoba stressed that Officers should regard themselves as first responders because they operate in locations where doctors, nurses and paramedics are not immediately available.

“The person standing next to you could be your emergency nurse or paramedic before a doctor is reached,” the Comptroller said.

While declaring the training open, Oshoba urged Officers and Men of the Command to see the workshop as a vital refresher training program, and also encouraged first-timers to fully engage in both the theoretical and practical sessions, noting that hands-on application is key to mastering emergency response skills.

He further highlighted first aid’s role in reducing injury severity, controlling bleeding, relieving pain and stabilizing victims who may be close to losing consciousness.

In his remark, the Medical Team Lead and Zonal Medical Officer for Zone B, Comptroller A.S Aku, guided the officers through hands-on sessions where each participants had the opportunity to demonstrate and practice CPR and techniques to restore any patient choking.

He said, “The truth is that when there is an emergency, you are a first responder. What you do in the first few minutes before help comes is very crucial. We are here to practice the basic skills that could save lives.

“At the end of the exercise, we should understand the four goals of first aid, identify its types, and when to administer them. We also need to acquaint ourselves with the techniques need. We have been encountering a lot of conditions whereby our bodies, our families, our friends require some form of assistance from us as a first responder, but most times, we panic”.

The training session included: how to do CPR, dealing with bleeding, gunshot incidents, bone and joint injuries, among others, and also featured presentation of Customs Medical Corps First Aid manual by the Zonal Medical Officer, Zone B Customs headquarters to the Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba.