The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has introduced a digital baggage declaration system at the Seme Area Command as part of efforts to modernise border operations, improve passenger clearance and promote greater transparency.
The Simplified Declaration for Passenger Baggage Import system allows travellers to begin their baggage declarations using mobile devices or complete the process at designated digital kiosks at the Seme border.
Under the new system, declared personal goods are assessed using standardised and pre-programmed tables. The platform calculates applicable customs duties automatically and generates receipts once payments are completed.
The Customs Service said the digital process is designed to reduce manual procedures and discretionary assessments while giving passengers and cross-border traders a more predictable clearance experience.
Early results from the deployment indicate that the average passenger baggage clearance time at the Seme Area Command has fallen to less than five minutes, according to Customs officials.
The command also reported generating ₦10.34 million in revenue from passenger baggage declarations within the first few days of the system's implementation. The revenue represents duties collected through the automated process and remitted to the Federation Account.
Customs officials said the digital system will operate alongside enhanced enforcement measures. Risk-management and intelligence-led controls will continue to be used to detect attempts to conceal commercial quantities of restricted or prohibited goods as passenger baggage.
Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, the Customs Area Controller at Seme, said the initiative forms part of the service's wider modernisation programme under Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
Kaila encouraged passengers, cross-border traders and other users of the Seme corridor to take advantage of the simplified declaration process while complying with applicable customs requirements.
The NCS said the initiative is expected to improve the passenger experience, strengthen revenue collection and support legitimate cross-border trade while maintaining border security and measures against smuggling.