NCS Seme Command records N10.34m revenue as digital baggage clearance commences

By Onu Okorie

Nigeria Customs Service NCS, Seme Area Command, has commenced the full operationalisation of the Simplified Declaration for Passenger Baggage Import, a digital initiative aimed at reducing clearance time, improving transparency and facilitating legitimate travel and cross-border trade.
The new system allows passengers to initiate baggage declarations using mobile devices or complete the process at designated digital kiosks at the command.
Under the system, standardized and pre-programmed assessment tables are applied to declared personal goods, enabling the automated calculation of applicable duties and the generation of receipts upon payment.
According to the command, the digital process is designed to reduce manual procedures and discretionary assessments while giving passengers a more transparent, predictable and efficient method of clearing dutiable goods.
Since the commencement of the deployment, the command said it has recorded an average passenger baggage clearance turnaround time of less than five minutes.
The command also disclosed that it generated N10,340,260.02 in revenue from passenger baggage declarations within the first few days of implementation.
The revenue, according to the command, is collected through an automated process that provides a direct and transparent channel for the payment of duties into the Federation Account.
While emphasizing trade facilitation, the Seme Area Command said the digital baggage declaration system is being implemented alongside strengthened enforcement measures to ensure that faster clearance does not compromise border security or compliance with customs laws.
The command said enhanced risk management and intelligence-led controls would continue to be used to detect and intercept attempts to conceal commercial quantities of restricted or prohibited goods as passenger baggage.
The Customs Area Controller, Seme Area Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, said the initiative forms part of broader efforts by the NCS to modernise customs operations, improve the passenger experience and strengthen revenue collection through technology-driven processes.
Kaila also reaffirmed the commitment of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, to deploying technology and innovative processes that promote trade facilitation, transparency, accountability and compliance at Nigeria’s borders.
He urged passengers, cross-border traders and other members of the trading community to take advantage of the simplified declaration system and comply with applicable customs requirements.
The command further pledged to work with relevant stakeholders and sister agencies operating along the Seme border corridor to ensure the smooth movement of legitimate passengers and goods while maintaining effective controls against smuggling and other forms of illicit cross-border trade. The NCS said legitimate travel and commerce would continue to receive the necessary facilitation within the framework of national security and economic protection.