448% Surge: Seme Customs generates ₦9.79bn in 2 months under Comptroller Kaila. Over ₦500m in contraband seized.
448% Surge: Seme Customs generates ₦9.79bn in 2 months under Comptroller Kaila. Over ₦500m in contraband seized.
By Success Okezie
The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, has posted a remarkable turnaround in revenue performance, recording a staggering 448% increase in just two months under the leadership of Customs Area Controller, Comptroller A.S. Kaila.
Speaking at his first press briefing since taking charge on March 18, 2026, Comptroller Kaila announced that the Command generated ₦9.79 billion between March and May 2026. This is a sharp contrast to the ₦2.18 billion collected during the same period in 2025, representing an additional ₦7.61 billion for government coffers.
According to the Customs boss, the impressive growth was not by chance. It was driven by tighter transit compliance measures, stronger collaboration with stakeholders, targeted strategies to block revenue leakages, improved operational efficiency, and the effective deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System.
Comptroller Kaila praised the officers and men of the Command for their professionalism, vigilance, and dedication. He stressed that sustaining this momentum remains a top priority, with plans to deepen institutional reforms, strengthen intelligence-led monitoring, and uphold transparent trade procedures that benefit both government and compliant traders.
Kaila described the Seme Area Command as one of Nigeria’s busiest and most strategic land borders, serving as a critical gateway for regional trade. The Command, he said, plays a central role in advancing trade integration under both the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
To ease the flow of legitimate commerce, the Command has deepened engagement with freight forwarders, licensed customs agents, transport unions, importers, exporters, traditional institutions, and other security agencies. The aim is to dismantle operational bottlenecks and make clearance procedures faster, simpler, and more predictable.
Beyond enforcement, officers are actively supporting small and medium-scale enterprises by guiding them on export documentation and regulatory compliance. This aligns with the Federal Government’s drive to diversify the economy and expand non-oil exports.
On the enforcement front, Comptroller Kaila said the Command has sustained aggressive, intelligence-led operations to protect local industries, safeguard public health, and strengthen national security. In the last two months alone, coordinated patrols along the Seme-Badagry corridor led to the seizure of 800 parcels of suspected cannabis sativa. The consignment will be handed over to the NDLEA for investigation and prosecution.
The Command also intercepted unregistered pharmaceutical products, including codeine-based cough syrups and sexual enhancement drugs suspected to lack NAFDAC approval. Seized items included cartons of Ultimate Plus Maker Syrup, Super Sexy, Machine Man, Citrate tablets, Tramadol, and other herbal medicines.
Other confiscated goods 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. The total Duty Paid Value of the seizures exceeded ₦500 million, underscoring the Command’s zero-tolerance stance on smuggling and economic sabotage.
Comptroller Kaila issued a firm warning to smugglers and their collaborators to desist from illegal activities. He noted that the Command has strengthened intelligence gathering, surveillance operations, and inter-agency collaboration to effectively combat transborder crimes.
He urged compliant traders and legitimate business operators to embrace lawful trade practices, describing compliance as the safest and most cost-effective path for international trade.
The Customs Area Controller also thanked stakeholders, host communities, and the media for their continued support and partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service. He reaffirmed the Service’s commitment, under Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, to balance revenue generation with trade facilitation, border security, and national economic development.
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