The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has introduced a Simplified Baggage Import Declaration System at the Seme Area Command, in a move aimed at transforming passenger clearance and strengthening revenue collection at one of the country’s major land borders.
The new digital system allows passengers and cross-border traders to initiate baggage declarations using mobile devices or complete the process at designated digital kiosks within the Command.
The initiative is part of the Service’s broader drive towards digital innovation and trade facilitation, with the NCS seeking to reduce delays, improve transparency and make the assessment and payment of duties more predictable for legitimate travellers.
Under the new arrangement, declared personal goods are assessed using standardized tables embedded in the system. Duties are automatically calculated, while receipts are generated once payment is completed.
The automated process is designed to reduce the manual bottlenecks associated with traditional baggage clearance and limit discretionary assessments, thereby providing passengers with a more transparent and predictable procedure.
According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Tunde Ayagbalo, the system has already produced notable results since its introduction, with the average clearance turnaround time falling to less than five minutes.
He said: “Within the first few days alone, revenue generated from passenger baggage declarations stood at N10.3 million with the automated system providing a direct and transparent channel for remitting duties to the Federation Account.”
The revenue generated during the initial days of implementation highlights the potential of digital processing to improve both compliance and revenue collection while reducing the amount of time passengers spend completing customs procedures.
Ayagbalo added that the simplified declaration system was being deployed alongside strengthened enforcement measures to prevent the misuse of passenger baggage channels.
According to him, enhanced risk-management and intelligence-led controls remain in place to detect attempts to conceal commercial quantities of restricted or prohibited goods as passenger baggage.
The Command said the digital initiative therefore does not replace enforcement but combines faster processing for legitimate travellers with targeted controls against suspected violations.
The Area Controller of Seme Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, described the deployment as part of the NCS's wider modernization programme, stressing the importance of technology in balancing passenger convenience with border enforcement.
“This deployment is part of our broader modernization agenda. We are determined to improve the passenger experience while safeguarding revenue and national security. Technology is the bridge between facilitation and enforcement,” Kaila said.
The new system is expected to particularly benefit travellers and cross-border traders who regularly use the Seme corridor by providing a clearer process for declaring baggage and settling applicable duties.
The Command also emphasized that the initiative forms part of the Service’s commitment to transparency and accountability, as digital declarations create an electronic trail of assessments, payments and receipts.
With the system now operational, the NCS is expected to continue monitoring its performance and compliance outcomes as it expands the use of technology in passenger and border-clearance operations.