The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, has sounded a warning to smugglers after a series of significant seizures worth over ₦1.2 billion in Duty Paid Value.
The command’s operatives intercepted five trucks laden with contraband goods, including 2,800 bags of foreign parboiled rice and 250 bales of second-hand clothing, along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor between July 1 and 19, 2025.
Contraband Items: 898 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 1,319 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 40 bags of sugar, 64 bags of flour, and other goods.
Duty Paid Value: ₦1,268,794,474 for all seizures during the period.
Revenue Generation*: ₦1,593,676,123.26 generated in May and June 2025.
Comptroller Ben Oramalugo emphasized that the Seme Area Command is not a fertile ground for smugglers, warning that the command will bring the full weight of the law upon those engaging in illicit activities.
Export and Trade Facilitation:
The command facilitated the movement of 1,837 trucks carrying over 116,723 metric tonnes of made-in-Nigeria goods with a Free On Board (FOB) value of ₦22,368,388,976.10.
The Seme Customs Command’s efforts demonstrate its commitment to enforcing customs regulations, boosting revenue collection, and curbing smuggling activities .
