By Atoyebi Nike
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, has announced that it generated a total of ₦3.57 billion in revenue between January and May 2025, while also facilitating the export of over 220,000 metric tonnes of goods valued at ₦47 billion (FOB) within the same period.
Comptroller Ben Oramalugo, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), revealed these figures during a working visit by the Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) Charles Orbih, to the command headquarters at the ECOWAS Joint Border Post, Seme-Krake.
Highlighting some of the command’s achievements, Oramalugo said anti-smuggling operations led to the confiscation of contraband items worth ₦889 million, which included expired pharmaceutical products, illicit drugs like marijuana, and hazardous substances such as mercury. These, he confirmed, have been handed over to appropriate authorities for investigation.
The CAC also decried major operational challenges affecting the Seme Command, notably non-functional scanning systems, border porosity, dilapidated roads, and a seven-year power outage, which he said undermines operational efficiency. He urged for upgrades in infrastructure, deployment of modern surveillance technologies, and closer collaboration with security agencies and local stakeholders.
Responding, ACG Orbih commended the Seme Command’s strides in both revenue collection and infrastructure improvements, citing recent renovations of the COWA building, sports facilities, and officers’ mess. He said these efforts reflect the broader reform agenda of Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi, anchored on Consolidation, Collaboration, and Innovation.
Orbih further noted that Zone A contributed nearly 80 percent of the N1.3 trillion revenue recorded by the Customs Service in the first quarter of 2025, and emphasized the Service’s commitment to modernization through platforms like the Advance Ruling System, Authorized Economic Operators (AEO), and the indigenous B’Odogwu clearance system.
