The Nigeria Customs Service Seme Area Command has generated a total revenue of ₦9,798,938,969 between March 2026 and May 2026, representing a 448 percent jump over the ₦2,188,405,749 collected in the same period last year, the Command’s Area Controller, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, announced on Monday.
Kaila disclosed this at a media briefing held at the Seme Area Command headquarters, his first major public engagement since assuming office in March 2026.
The revenue surge translates to an absolute increase of ₦7,610,533,220 over the corresponding 2025 figure, a performance the Comptroller attributed to tightened compliance mechanisms and improved stakeholder cooperation.
He also credited the deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System as a key driver of the revenue growth recorded within the period.
Kaila said intensified anti-revenue leakage measures and enhanced operational efficiency among officers contributed significantly to the impressive outturn.
The Comptroller described Seme as one of Nigeria’s most strategic land border formations, noting its central role in regional trade under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He said the Command had deepened engagement with licensed customs agents, freight forwarders, transport unions, importers, exporters, and sister security agencies to reduce bottlenecks along the corridor.
Regular stakeholder consultations, he noted, had simplified clearance procedures, strengthened compliance awareness, and built greater mutual trust between the Service and the trading community.
Kaila added that officers were providing active guidance to Small and Medium Enterprises on export documentation and regulatory compliance to help them access regional and international markets.
On the enforcement front, the Comptroller said the Command intercepted 1,000 parcels of Cannabis Sativa during coordinated patrols along the Seme-Badagry corridor and adjoining routes over the past three months.
He said the seized cannabis, prohibited under the NDLEA Act and Section 245(1) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, was being processed for formal handover to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for investigation and prosecution.
The Command also seized large quantities of unregistered pharmaceutical products lacking certification from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, in contravention of Section 55(1)(c) of the Customs Act.
Among the pharmaceutical seizures were 55 bottles of Ultimate Plus Maca Syrup, 88 packs of 99 Bullets Herbal Medicine, and 10 cartons of Ultimate Plus Maca Sildenafil Citrate 200mg.
Others included 14 cartons each of Super Sexy Sildenafil Citrate 200mg and Machine Man Sildenafil Citrate 200mg, quantities of Bottom Up Sildenafil Citrate 200mg, 100 packs of Tramaking, and 100 packs of Tempendol.
Kaila said all the unregistered pharmaceutical products would be formally handed over to NAFDAC for appropriate regulatory action.
Separate enforcement operations also yielded 2,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice and 993 cartons of foreign spaghetti, goods the Command said were brought in through unapproved channels to undercut local producers.
The Command further intercepted 340 kegs of 25 litres each of foreign vegetable oil and 103 kegs of 30 litres each of Premium Motor Spirit smuggled across the border.
A total of 250 bales of used clothing were also among goods seized, with the combined Duty Paid Value of all intercepted items put at ₦501,845,772.
Kaila issued a stern warning to smugglers, declaring that the Seme Area Command had strengthened its intelligence network and surveillance capacity across land and maritime routes and would not tolerate illicit trade.
He said the Command had also deepened collaboration with relevant security and regulatory agencies to combat trans-border crimes and economic sabotage along the corridor.
The Comptroller urged compliant traders to continue using the Command’s trade facilitation and dispute-resolution platforms, describing regulatory compliance as the most cost-effective route for conducting international trade.
He commended officers and men of the Command for their discipline and dedication, while also expressing appreciation to host communities and stakeholders for their support and cooperation.
Kaila reaffirmed the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment under Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi to balancing revenue generation with trade facilitation, border security, and national economic development.