The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, says it generated over ₦9.7 billion in revenue between March and May 2026, representing a 448 per cent increase compared to the corresponding period in 2025.
The Customs Area Controller, Abdullahi Kaila, disclosed this during a media briefing held on Monday at the Command Headquarters in Seme, Lagos State.
According to him, the Command generated a total revenue of ₦9,798,938,969 within the review period, compared to ₦2,188,405,749 collected during the same period in 2025.
Kaila attributed the increase to strengthened compliance mechanisms, improved stakeholder cooperation, intensified anti-revenue leakage measures, enhanced operational efficiency, and the deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System.
He also commended officers and men of the Command for their dedication and vigilance, assuring that the Command would sustain the momentum through intelligence-driven monitoring and transparent trade procedures.
The Customs boss described the Seme border corridor as one of Nigeria’s busiest and most strategic land border formations, especially within the framework of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He noted that the Command had intensified engagements with freight forwarders, licensed customs agents, transport unions, importers, exporters, traditional institutions, and sister security agencies to improve trade facilitation and compliance.
According to him, the Command also supports Small and Medium Enterprises through guidance on export documentation and regulatory compliance to boost non-oil exports and economic diversification.
On anti-smuggling operations, Kaila said the Command recorded major seizures within the last three months through intelligence-led enforcement operations along the Seme-Badagry corridor and adjoining routes.
Among the items intercepted were 1,000 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, which he said would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation and prosecution.
The Command also seized unregistered pharmaceutical products, including codeine-based cough syrups and sexual enhancement drugs allegedly imported without certification from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
Other seized items included 2,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 340 kegs of vegetable oil, 103 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit, 993 cartons of foreign spaghetti, and 250 bales of used clothing.
Kaila stated that the total Duty Paid Value of all intercepted items stood at ₦501,845,772.
He warned smugglers and their collaborators to stay away from the Seme corridor, stressing that the Command had strengthened its intelligence network, surveillance operations, and inter-agency collaboration to combat economic sabotage and trans-border crimes.
The Comptroller reiterated that compliant traders would continue to enjoy seamless trade facilitation processes and urged stakeholders to utilise available dispute-resolution mechanisms for legitimate business operations.
He also praised the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for sustaining reforms aimed at balancing revenue generation, trade facilitation, and national security.
