New Customs System Cuts Seme Border Baggage Processing to Five Minutes

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has introduced a digital system for declaring imported baggage at the Seme Area Command, in a move aimed at speeding up passenger clearance and improving transparency at the border.

The new Simplified Baggage Import Declaration System allows travellers and cross-border traders to begin their declarations using mobile devices or designated digital kiosks at the command.

Under the system, declared personal goods are assessed using standardised tables, with applicable duties calculated automatically. Receipts are also generated after payment, reducing the need for manual processing.

The Customs Service said the digital process is designed to eliminate bottlenecks and reduce discretionary assessments while giving passengers a more predictable clearance experience.

According to Tunde Ayagbalo, Public Relations Officer of the Seme Area Command, the system has already reduced the average baggage clearance time to less than five minutes since its introduction.

Ayagbalo also disclosed that the command generated N10.3 million in revenue from passenger baggage declarations within the first few days of the rollout.

He said the automated system provides a direct channel for the remittance of duties into the Federation Account while improving accountability in the collection process.

The digital declaration initiative is being implemented alongside strengthened enforcement measures at the border.

Customs said its risk-management and intelligence-led controls remain in place to detect attempts to conceal commercial quantities of restricted or prohibited goods in passenger baggage.

The Area Controller of the Seme Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, described the deployment as part of the service’s broader modernisation programme.

According to him, the objective is to improve the passenger experience without compromising revenue collection and national security.

“Technology is the bridge between facilitation and enforcement,” Kaila said.

The command said reducing manual intervention would strengthen compliance and allow legitimate passengers and traders to benefit from faster and more predictable clearance.

NCS also urged travellers and cross-border traders to use the simplified declaration system and comply with applicable import requirements.

The initiative forms part of ongoing efforts by the NCS to expand digital processes across its operations while maintaining controls against smuggling and illicit trade.