Joyce Mmereole Okoli
In just one month on the job, the new Customs Area Controller of the Seme Command, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, has set the border buzzing, smashing revenue records, tightening anti-smuggling operations, and reaffirming Seme’s role as a vital gateway for legitimate trade between Nigeria and West Africa.
Speaking during his first major press briefing on Thursday, Wale announced that the command generated an impressive ₦1.5 billion in September 2025, marking a staggering 182% jump from the ₦531 million collected in August before he took charge.
“This performance is a testament to the Comptroller-General’s reform agenda anchored on transparency, innovation, and data-driven monitoring. Our officers have shown exceptional commitment to the new vision,” Wale said.
In what he described as “one of the most significant busts in recent months,” Wale revealed that five trucks loaded with 10,000 bags of expired flour imported from Egypt were intercepted through joint intelligence operations between Customs and NAFDAC.
The expired product, produced in March 2024 and meant to expire in November 2024, was allegedly being repackaged for the Nigerian market a move the Controller warned could have endangered public health.
“Imagine what would have happened if this expired flour had gone into bread production, We are talking about cancer, food poisoning, and long-term health risks,” he said.
• 1,104 parcels of cannabis (marijuana)
• 98 parcels of Tramadol (120mg), two suspects handed over to NDLEA
• 2,043 bags of foreign parboiled rice (50kg)
• 150 bales of second-hand clothing
• 169 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup
• 5 used vehicles smuggled into Nigeria
The total value of the seizures was put at ₦1.99 billion, which Adenuga described as “a clear warning to smugglers that Seme is no longer a safe route for illicit trade.”
In line with the Federal Government’s non-oil export drive, the command facilitated 53,989 metric tons of export goods valued at ₦7.96 billion, comprising agricultural and manufactured products destined for ECOWAS countries.
Adenuga noted that the development reflects renewed confidence in the Seme corridor, adding that export processing and documentation are now faster and more transparent.
In a groundbreaking move, Seme Command also hosted Benin Republic Customs officials for a bilateral engagement aimed at harmonizing border operations and improving trade flows under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS).
“It’s been years since we sat together like this. We are building trust again to make this corridor a model for regional integration,” Adenuga said.
Reaffirming his loyalty to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, he pledged to sustain the momentum of reform, technology adoption, and stakeholder collaboration.
“Seme will no longer be known for smuggling, We are turning it into a gateway of prosperity not criminality,” he declared.