The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, has commenced the full operationalisation of a Simplified Declaration for Passenger Baggage Import system, cutting average clearance time for passenger baggage to less than five minutes.
The initiative is aimed at streamlining baggage declaration and assessment, reducing clearance time, promoting transparency and facilitating legitimate travel and cross-border trade through the Seme-Krake border corridor.
Under the new system, passengers can initiate baggage declarations using mobile devices or complete the process at designated digital kiosks within the Command.
Standardised and pre-programmed assessment tables are used to assess declared personal goods, allowing the system to automatically calculate applicable duties and generate receipts upon payment.
The Command said the digital process would reduce manual procedures and discretionary assessments while providing passengers with a more transparent, predictable and efficient process for clearing dutiable goods.
Since the deployment began, the Command said it had recorded an average passenger baggage clearance turnaround time of less than five minutes, demonstrating the impact of digital processing on passenger facilitation.
Within the first few days of implementation, the Command also generated ₦10,340,260.02 in revenue from passenger baggage declarations.
It said the automated process provides a direct and transparent channel for the collection of applicable duties payable to the Federation Account.
The deployment is being implemented alongside strengthened enforcement measures to ensure that trade facilitation does not compromise border security or compliance with customs laws.
Through enhanced risk management and intelligence-led controls, the Command said it continues to identify 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, 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 the nation’s borders.
Kaila encouraged passengers, cross-border traders and other members of the trading community to utilise the simplified declaration system and comply with applicable customs requirements.
He assured the public that legitimate travel and commerce would continue to receive the necessary facilitation, while the service maintains effective controls against smuggling and other forms of illicit cross-border trade.
The Command also said it would continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and sister government agencies operating within the Seme border corridor to facilitate the smooth movement of legitimate passengers and goods while safeguarding national security and protecting the economy.
