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Seme Customs: Kaila Records N19.84bn Revenue in 7 Months, Seizes N365m Contraband

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Comptroller Kaila addressing the press Tuesday on the Command’s scorecard
BY FUNMI ALUKO
The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has generated ₦19.84 billion in revenue between January and July 2026, surpassing the ₦15.94 billion it collected throughout the 2025 fiscal year by ₦3.89 billion.
The Command also recorded seizures with a cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦365.16 million, including expired food products, foreign parboiled rice, illicit drugs, cigarettes, vehicles, watercraft and explosive materials.
The Controller  of Customs, Seme Area Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Shuaibu Kaila, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing at the Seme Border, Badagry, Lagos State, where he presented the Command’s enforcement and revenue scorecard.
Kaila said the Command’s revenue collection of ₦19,840,280,788.50 within seven months represented a 24.45 per cent increase over the ₦15,941,258,676.01 collected in 2025.
He attributed the performance to improved compliance, stronger stakeholder engagement and enhanced operational efficiency, stressing that effective enforcement and trade facilitation remained complementary responsibilities of the Service.
According to him, the Command’s enforcement drive is increasingly being anchored on credible intelligence, surveillance and collaboration with sister security and regulatory agencies.
One of the major seizures presented at the briefing was 1,306 sacks of expired and waste noodles, each weighing 50 kilogrammes.
Kaila said the consignment was intercepted after intelligence indicated that a truck had been deceptively declared as carrying food items.
A thorough examination, he explained, revealed that the noodles had expired, deteriorated and were in some cases decomposing.
He further disclosed that intelligence suggested that the products were intended to be repackaged and relabelled for distribution to unsuspecting consumers in Nigeria.
The Comptroller described the interception as a major public health intervention, noting that allowing the consignment into the Nigerian market could have exposed consumers to serious health hazards.
He said the seizure demonstrated that border enforcement goes beyond revenue protection, as Customs operations also contribute to safeguarding public health.
In another major operation, the Command intercepted 1,268 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50 kilogrammes, which were allegedly smuggled through illegal routes.
Kaila said the continued smuggling of foreign rice not only deprives government of legitimate revenue but also undermines Federal Government policies aimed at strengthening domestic agricultural production.
He added that such illicit imports threaten the livelihoods of Nigerian farmers and discourage local investment in rice production.
The Command also recorded significant interceptions in the fight against illicit drugs and harmful substances.
The seizures included 373 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 90 packs of Tramaking 250mg, 69 packs of Royal Tapentadol 250mg and 310,000 sticks of Time/Yes cigarettes.
According to Kaila, the seizures disrupted criminal supply chains and prevented dangerous substances from reaching Nigerian communities.
He noted that illicit drugs are often associated with substance abuse and other forms of criminality, while smuggled cigarettes evade statutory duties and health regulations.
The most sensitive seizure, however, was the interception of 3,300 cartridges of explosive materials being illegally conveyed through the border corridor.
Kaila said the explosive materials posed a serious national security threat because of their potential use by criminal elements for terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes.
He disclosed that the explosives, along with one suspect, had already been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit for safe custody and further investigation.
The Command also seized one used speedboat, one used water bike, a 2017 Toyota Land Cruiser, a 2016 Toyota RAV4 and a 2010 Nissan Versa in separate anti-smuggling operations.
Kaila said the combined DPV of the items displayed at the briefing stood at ₦365.16 million.
He issued a warning to smugglers and other economic saboteurs, declaring that the Seme corridor was increasingly becoming hostile to illicit activities.
“To those engaged in smuggling activities, our message remains unequivocal: Seme is no longer a safe corridor for economic sabotage,” he said.
The Comptroller, however, stressed that enforcement would not be pursued at the expense of legitimate trade.
He said the Command remained committed to creating an enabling environment for compliant traders to conduct legitimate business with ease and predictability.
Kaila also reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to supporting the Federal Government’s economic reforms, promoting regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and ensuring that legitimate traders could use the Seme corridor efficiently.
He said the seized illicit drugs and unregistered pharmaceutical products would be formally handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for further investigation and necessary action.
The Comptroller commended sister security and regulatory agencies for their cooperation and intelligence sharing, as well as the media for its role in informing the public about the activities of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He said the Command’s achievements reflected the dedication and resilience of its officers and men in protecting Nigeria’s borders, generating revenue, facilitating legitimate trade and disrupting transnational criminal networks
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