The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) recorded a five-fold increase in revenue generation, collecting N3.48 billion in February 2026 compared to N743.7 million in the same period last year.
The surge was driven largely by a rise in exports, particularly agricultural exports through the Lagos-Abidjan corridor, the Command said.
“This clearly shows that the flow of trade is getting better and people are building greater confidence in the Seme–Krake corridor,” Wale Adenuga, the area comptroller, said during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting held in Badagry.
The revenue surge, he added, reflects the Command’s adoption of seamless trade facilitation processes that have boosted confidence among traders and farmers using the corridor.
In May 2025, the service implemented the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT) at the Nigeria-Benin border to digitalise and harmonise cross-border trade connectivity between both countries.
Read also: Nigeria implements SIGMAT at Benin border for seamless trade, fraud
Adenuga attributed the improved business environment to a reduction in unauthorised checkpoints along the Seme–Gbaji axis, achieved through collaborative efforts with other security agencies. Only Agbara and Gbaji now serve as officially approved Customs checkpoints on the route.
Enhanced security has resulted from regular inter-agency meetings at the border post, which have strengthened cooperation, improved intelligence sharing, and enabled more effective responses to security threats, he said.
Recent enforcement successes include the interception of a Toyota Highlander vehicle carrying 22 packages of cocaine valued at over N1 billion. In February alone, the Command also seized 1,000 bags of 50-kilogram parboiled rice, underscoring its commitment to protecting Nigeria’s economic interests.
Adenuga said the Command is working with traders, farmers, security agencies, and regional partners to sustain the momentum.
