Seme: Compt. Kaila’s Crackdown on Smugglers Yields ₦501M Worth of Smuggled Goods in 2 Months, Rakes in N9.8B Revenue
By Tunde Ojudun -The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), under Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, has recorded a major breakthrough in revenue generation and anti-smuggling operations.
Between March and May 2026, the command collected ₦9.798 billion in revenue — a 448% surge compared to ₦2.188 billion in the same period last year. Kaila attributed the growth to stronger compliance mechanisms, improved stakeholder cooperation, anti-revenue leakage measures, and the deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System.
He emphasized that the command remains committed to sustaining these gains through intelligence-driven monitoring and transparent trade procedures.
He stressed that coordinated patrols and surveillance yielded seizures valued at ₦501.845 million, including 1,000 parcels of cannabis sativa (handed over to NDLEA), large quantities of unregistered pharmaceuticals, including codeine-based syrups and sildenafil citrate (to be transferred to NAFDAC).
Also seized were 2,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 340 kegs of vegetable oil, 103 kegs of petrol, 993 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 250 bales of used clothing.
Kaila warned that the command will not serve as a safe haven for illicit trade. He noted that intelligence networks and surveillance along land and maritime routes have been strengthened.
As one of Nigeria’s busiest land borders, Seme plays a vital role in ECOWAS and AfCFTA trade integration. The command has intensified engagement with agents, freight forwarders, transport unions, and other stakeholders to simplify clearance procedures and support SMEs in export documentation.
Kaila commended officers for their discipline and resilience, while thanking stakeholders and host communities for their support. He pledged that the command will continue balancing revenue generation, trade facilitation, and border security in line with the reform agenda of Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and the Tinubu administration’s economic priorities.
