The continued total absence of scanners at the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post constitutes a major challenge towards facilitating legitimate intra-African trade along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor, the Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has said.

Meanwhile, the command has achieved a record high of processing 65, 185.96metric tonnes of non-oil exports with a Free- On- Board FOB value of N13.1billion between January and February, 2024 in 184 declarations.

Built by the European Union EU at the cost of $4.5billion and donated to the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS in 2018, the border control facility is jointly operated by Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, and it houses all the security agencies from both countries that operate at the Seme Border.

Customs Area Controller, Seme Border Command, Comptroller Timi Bomodi during the briefing last week.

Fielding questions from newsmen shortly after a briefing on the activities of the command between January-February, 2024, Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Timi Bomodi noted that one of the greatest challenges faced at the joint border post in terms of facilitating legitimate trade remains the total absence of functional scanners at the facility.

He noted that it takes a combination several hours and many able-bodied men to un-stuff a lorry load of export goods, which should ordinarily take less than 20 minutes to scan and analyse the image for proper examination.

“We have since written to the ECOWAS headquarters on the need to supply scanners at the joint border facility to ease cargo examination and eliminate delays, but we’re yet to get any response to that effect.

“Installing scanners would significantly reduce the number of hours and able officers and men as well as labourers involved in the physical examination of export consignments. It is far easier to scan trucks”, Comptroller Bomodi further said.

The CAC also disclosed that the command has collected a total of N65.3billion from the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme NESS while N24.407million was collected under the Nigeria Export Surcharge for previously imported goods within the two-month period.

Recall that the command had earlier this month, seized a truck load of beans containing 400 bags with a duty paid value DPV ofN61.5million. The commodity was stockpiled in a warehouse at one of the exit corridors at the border waiting to be illegally exported to the neighbouring Republic of Benin.

On revenue, the Command was given a target of N7.875billion for the 2024 fiscal year, which represents an increase of over 400per cent compared to the 2023 target, which translates to a monthly collectible revenue of N656.258million.

Statistics show that the command collected a total revenue of ₦1.2billion within the first two months of the year. Further details show that in January 2024, it collected ₦643.1million while N517.9million was collected in February. This represents 88per cent decline in the total expected revenue for the two months, which it attributed to the total aggregate decline in imports occasioned by the high exchange rate.

In terms of anti-smuggling operations, within the review period, it has also successfully made 168 interventions, leading to the seizure of three trailer loads of rice comprising 2,193 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice, three tankers of Premium Motor Spirit PMS comprising 81,930 litres, nine units of vehicles, 1,425 General merchandise, 265 parcels of cannabis sativa and other narcotics, 149 pkg of codeine and two locally manufactured guns, among others. The seized items have a combined DPV of N365.9million.

In addition to the gallantry of the officers and men of the command, Bomodi attributed this feat to the robust synergy that exists between all the security agencies operating at the border. He also thanked the Comptroller General of the service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR for providing the necessary tools, especially the special purpose vehicles, which have eased operation in the very rough terrains.