RismadarVoice Reporters
October 2, 2026
The Nigeria Customs Service has introduced a Simplified Baggage Import Declaration System at the Seme Area Command to digitise passenger baggage clearance and reduce processing time at the border.
The new system allows passengers to initiate baggage declarations using mobile devices or designated digital kiosks provided at the Command.
According to the Customs Service, the platform uses standardised assessment tables to evaluate declared personal goods, automatically calculate applicable duties and generate receipts after payment.
The Seme Command said average baggage clearance time had fallen to less than five minutes since the introduction of the system.
It added that passenger baggage declarations generated ₦10.3 million in revenue within the first few days of implementation.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Tunde Ayagbalo, said the automated platform provides a direct channel for the payment and remittance of applicable duties into the Federation Account.
Customs said the initiative was designed to reduce manual procedures and discretionary assessments while providing travellers with a faster and more predictable clearance process.
The digital declaration platform is being implemented alongside risk-management and intelligence-led enforcement measures aimed at identifying attempts to conceal commercial quantities of restricted or prohibited goods as personal baggage.
Area Controller of the Seme Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, said the initiative formed part of the wider modernisation of Customs operations.
“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 Command said the system would strengthen transparency, accountability and efficiency in passenger clearance while supporting legitimate cross-border movement.
