In a major boost to Nigeria’s non-oil export, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, has announced that it facilitated the export of goods valued at N7.96 billion between September 1 and October 9, 2025.
The exports, totalling 53,989.46 metric tonnes, comprised agricultural produce and manufactured goods, reflecting renewed confidence in the Seme Border under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS).
According to the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, who disclosed this during his maiden press briefing at the COWA Complex, Seme Border, the Command also recorded N39.8 million in Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) fees.
He credited the achievement to the reform-driven leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, whose policy of Consolidation, Collaboration and Innovation continues to enhance trade facilitation and regional integration along the Lagos–Abidjan corridor.
The Command’s renewed operational focus translated into a sharp revenue rise, generating N1.5 billion in September 2025, a 182% increase compared to N531 million collected in August. Adenuga attributed the growth to “data-driven monitoring, transparency, and the professionalism of officers,” stressing that trade facilitation remains the hallmark of his administration.
Within the period under review, Seme Customs Command also seized five trucks loaded with 10,000 bags of expired flour from Egypt, valued at N1.21 billion duty paid value (DPV), in a joint operation with the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) after an intel from the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adeniyi.
Other major seizures included 1,104 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 120 packs of Tramadol 120mg, 2,043 bags of foreign rice, 150 bales of used clothing, 169 bottles of codeine syrup, and five used vehicles, all valued at N1.99 billion DPV.
Adenuga described smuggling as economic sabotage that robs the nation of vital revenue and endangers public welfare.” He commended the Nigerian Navy’s FOB Badagry for repeatedly handing over contraband intercepted on waterways.
To strengthen cross-border efficiency, the Command hosted two stakeholder engagements from October 6th to 7th. The first day brought together heads of security agencies, traditional rulers, and transport stakeholders to address multiple checkpoints and trade barriers, while the second involved Benin Republic Customs officials and licensed agents to harmonize border procedures and advance the Lagos–Abidjan trade corridor.
Reaffirming the Command’s dedication to balancing revenue generation, trade facilitation, and national security, Adenuga vowed to sustain reforms through technology and intelligence-based operations.
“Under the visionary leadership of CGC Adewale Adeniyi, the Seme–Krake border will remain a gateway of prosperity, not criminality,” he said, appreciating all security agencies, stakeholders, and officers for their cooperation and professionalism in achieving the Command’s successes.
