The Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila-led Seme Border Customs Command continues to unleash crackdown on die-hard smuggling syndicates operating at the border post
By Innocent Chukwu
The Seme Border Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), said it has recorded a major breakthrough in revenue generation and anti-smuggling operations under the leadership of Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila.
The Command also said between March and May 2026, it collected ₦9.798 billion in revenue, a 448 per cent surge in revenue generation compared to the ₦2.188 billion in the same period last year. Comptroller Kaila attributed the revenue growth to stronger compliance mechanisms, improved stakeholder cooperation, anti-revenue leakage measures, and the deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System.
He emphasized that the command remains committed to sustaining these gains through intelligence-driven monitoring and transparent trade procedures.
The Customs chief at the border Command stressed that the coordinated patrols and surveillance mounted by his officers yielded seizures valued at ₦501.845 million, including 1,000 parcels of cannabis sativa handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), large quantities of unregistered pharmaceuticals, including codeine-based syrups and sildenafil citrate to be transferred to the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The Command also said it recorded seizures of 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 during the time under review.
Speaking on the successes recorded by the Command under his watch, Comptroller Kaila warned that the Command would not serve as a safe haven for illicit trade. He noted that intelligence networks and surveillance along land and maritime routes have been strengthened.
As one of Nigeria’s busiest land borders, Seme plays a vital role in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) integration. The Command has equally intensified engagement with clearing and forwarding agents, freight forwarders, transport unions, and other stakeholders to simplify clearance procedures and support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in export documentation.
Kaila commended officers for their discipline and resilience, while thanking stakeholders and host communities for their support. He pledged that the command would continue to balance revenue generation, trade facilitation, and border security in line with the reform agenda of Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and the President Bola Tinubu administration’s economic priorities.
