At the Gateway: Seme Customs Chief Courts Kings and Commanders to Free the Lagos–Abidjan Corridor

By Lod Onyeji

*BADAGRY, NIGERIA* — In a bid to dismantle the bureaucratic and physical bottlenecks strangling commerce along West Africa’s busiest border, the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, has launched an ambitious round of diplomacy with the custodians of tradition and security.

Comptroller Ben Oramalugo Kaila, newly posted as Area Controller, spent last week traversing palaces and barracks from Badagry to the Republic of Benin frontier, making a single case: legitimate trade cannot thrive without trust. “Our mandate is threefold — revenue, trade facilitation, and anti-smuggling,” Kaila told the royal court of the Akran of Badagry. “But none of it works without the blessing and cooperation of traditional rulers. Customs does not operate in a vacuum.”

The visit began on a somber note as Kaila offered condolences on the passing of HRM De Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi I, a monarch long regarded as a stabilizing voice across the border communities. King Regent Chief Abel Ogunbiyi received him warmly, calling Kaila “a son of the soil.” “Badagry is a peaceful town,” Ogunbiyi said. “We will keep collaborating with you to safeguard our borders and promote legitimate trade.”

That theme of partnership echoed at the palace of the Onibereko of Ibereko Awori-Kingdom, where Oba Israel Okoya pledged to keep his youth from illicit trade and to “assist you in achieving the government mandate.” At Apa Kingdom, HRM Oba Oyekan Ajose Ilufemiloye described Kaila as a “professional, seasoned, and well respected officer,” promising open channels for any need. “Our border here has been peaceful because our youth listen to elders,” the Alapa said. “With you here, things will change for the better.”

Kaila’s outreach extended beyond royal stools. At the 653 Nigerian Air Force Base in Ahanve-Badagry, Commanding Officer Group Captain Hungruy Medugu framed the relationship as mission-critical. “Our collaboration has been key to various successes in our area of responsibility,” Medugu noted. “Your presence strengthens existing bonds of inter-agency collaboration. We will not take it for granted.”

The tour closed with a cross-border gesture: a courtesy call on the Republic of Benin Police, signaling Seme Command’s intent to harmonize enforcement and clear the path for goods moving along the Lagos–Abidjan corridor, a lifeline for regional integration under ECOWAS trade protocols.

For Kaila, the strategy is as pragmatic as it is symbolic. The Seme–Krake joint border post handles thousands of tons of cargo and a steady flow of informal traders each week. Yet extortion points, overlapping agency checks, and community distrust have long inflated costs and fed smuggling. By enlisting traditional rulers as interlocutors and sister agencies as partners, the Command is betting that legitimacy, not just enforcement, will reopen the corridor.

“Trade barriers are not only physical,” Kaila said. “They are built from suspicion. Remove that, and revenue follows.”

If the early reception from Badagry’s palaces to the Air Force base is any indication, Seme’s new controller may have found the right combination of deference and determination to test that thesis.

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_Reported from Seme Border Post_  

_Adapted from a release by SC JT Ayagbalo, Public Relations Officer, Seme Area Command_