The Nigeria Customs Service, (NCS) Seme Area Command, has reported a sharp rise in revenue and major anti-smuggling gains since March 2026, with ₦9.8 billion collected and prohibited goods worth ₦501.8 million intercepted along the Seme-Badagry corridor.
Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, disclosed this on Monday during a media briefing at the command headquarters.
He said revenue for the period from March to May 2026 hit ₦9.798 billion, a 448% increase from the ₦2.188 billion recorded in the same period last year.
Kaila attributed the growth to stronger compliance mechanisms, improved stakeholder cooperation, anti-revenue leakage measures, and the deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System.
He said the command remains committed to sustaining the gains through intelligence-driven monitoring and transparent trade procedures.
As one of Nigeria’s busiest land borders, Seme plays a key role in ECOWAS and AfCFTA trade integration.
The controller said the command has intensified engagement with agents, freight forwarders, transport unions, and other stakeholders to address bottlenecks, simplify clearance, and support small and medium enterprises in export documentation.
On enforcement, Kaila said coordinated patrols and surveillance yielded significant seizures in the last three months.
These include 1,000 parcels of cannabis sativa to be handed over to NDLEA, and large quantities of unregistered pharmaceuticals such as codeine-based syrups and sildenafil citrate products, which will be transferred to NAFDAC.
Other intercepted items include 2,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 340 kegs of vegetable oil, 103 kegs of petrol, 993 cartons of foreign spaghetti, and 250 bales of used clothing. The total duty paid value of the seizures stands at ₦501.845 million.
“The command will not serve as a safe haven for illicit trade,” Kaila warned, adding that intelligence networks and surveillance along land and maritime routes have been strengthened.
He urged compliant traders to use available trade facilitation platforms, saying compliance remains the fastest and most cost-effective path.
He commended officers for their discipline and resilience, and thanked stakeholders and host communities for their support.
Kaila said the command will continue to balance revenue generation, trade facilitation, and border security in line with the reform agenda of Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and the economic priorities of the Tinubu administration.
