Seme Border Customs Posts 448% Revenue Jump Under Comptroller Kaila as Trade Facilitation, Anti-Smuggling Accelerate

_Data from March–May 2026 shows B’Odogwu deployment and compliance push driving results at Nigeria’s busiest land border_

By Lod Onyeji

SEME, Nigeria — Two months after assuming office, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila is reporting measurable gains in revenue, trade facilitation, and enforcement at the Nigeria Customs Service’s Seme Area Command.

At a media briefing on May 25, 2026, Kaila presented a scorecard showing a sharp rise in collections and a surge in seizures along the Seme-Badagry corridor, positioning the border post to play a larger role in ECOWAS and AfCFTA trade flows.

Revenue: 448% Year-on-Year Growth

Between March 2026 and the briefing date, Seme Command generated *₦9.80 billion*, up from *₦2.19 billion* in the same period in 2025. That’s an increase of *₦7.61 billion*, or *448% year-on-year*.

Kaila attributed the jump to four factors: 

1. *Tighter compliance mechanisms* reducing under-declaration and duty evasion. 

2. *Improved stakeholder cooperation* with agents, freight forwarders, and transport unions. 

3. *Anti-revenue leakage measures* targeting diversion and false declaration. 

4. *Deployment of B’Odogwu*, the Unified Customs Management System, which streamlined assessment and payment.

Seme is one of Nigeria’s busiest land borders and a key node for ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and AfCFTA traffic. Faster processing and clearer procedures tend to increase formal trade, which explains part of the revenue lift.

Trade Facilitation: Compliance Over Friction

The command has expanded consultations with licensed agents, exporters, importers, traditional institutions, and sister agencies. According to Kaila, regular interface meetings have cut bottlenecks, simplified clearance steps, and improved compliance awareness.

A practical focus has been on SMEs seeking regional and international markets. Officers are providing guidance on export documentation and regulatory requirements, aligning with the federal government’s non-oil export push and its goal to improve Nigeria’s Ease of Doing Business ranking.

The approach reflects a shift from enforcement-heavy models to compliance-by-design: reduce transaction costs for legitimate traders, raise the cost of non-compliance.

Enforcement: ₦501.8M in Seizures in 3 Months

Coordinated patrols along the Seme-Badagry corridor yielded significant interceptions between March and May 2026:

- *1,000 parcels of Cannabis Sativa* – to be handed to NDLEA for prosecution. 

- *Unregistered pharmaceuticals* including codeine syrups and sildenafil citrate products lacking NAFDAC certification, violating Section 55(1)(c) of the Customs Act. 

- *2,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice*, *340 kegs of vegetable oil*, *103 kegs of PMS*, *993 cartons of spaghetti*, and *250 bales of used clothing*.

The *Duty Paid Value of all seizures is ₦501.85 million*. Items will be transferred to NAFDAC, NDLEA, and other agencies for regulatory action.

Kaila said the results reflect stronger intelligence networks, expanded surveillance across land and maritime routes, and closer collaboration with security and regulatory agencies. He framed the stance as zero-tolerance for smuggling, while reiterating that compliance remains the fastest and cheapest path for traders.

Why the Trajectory Looks Sustainable

Three elements support continuity:

1. *Technology is operational*: B’Odogwu is live at Seme, cutting manual intervention and creating an audit trail that improves compliance and revenue capture. 

2. *Stakeholder trust is building*: Regular engagement reduces disputes and clearance delays, a key lever at a border where informal trade has historically dominated. 

3. *Alignment with national policy*: The command’s focus mirrors the Tinubu administration’s economic reform agenda and the Customs Service’s mandate under the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.

Seme’s performance will remain sensitive to regional security, exchange rate volatility, and cross-border policy shifts. But the combination of data-driven monitoring, institutional reform, and transparent procedures gives Kaila a foundation to sustain gains.

“To compliant traders, compliance remains the safest, fastest, and most cost-effective pathway,” Kaila said. Under CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the Service continues to balance revenue, trade facilitation, border security, and economic development.