The Nigeria Customs Service has introduced a digital system for declaring and clearing passenger baggage at the Seme Area Command.
The Simplified Declaration for Passenger Baggage Import system is designed to make clearance faster, improve transparency and support the smooth movement of legitimate travellers and cross-border traders.
Passengers can submit their baggage declarations with mobile devices or use digital kiosks provided at the command.
The system applies standard assessment tables to declared personal goods, calculates the duties payable and automatically issues receipts after payment.
Customs said the process would reduce paperwork, minimise discretionary assessments and give passengers a clearer and more predictable clearance procedure.
Since the system was introduced, the command has reduced the average clearance time for passenger baggage to less than five minutes.
It has also collected ₦10,340,260.02 in duties from baggage declarations during the first few days of implementation.
According to the service, the automated process creates a transparent channel for collecting revenue due to the Federation Account.
The digital system is being operated alongside stronger enforcement measures to ensure that faster clearance does not weaken border security.
Customs officers will continue to use risk-management and intelligence-led methods to detect attempts to disguise commercial quantities of restricted or prohibited goods as personal baggage.
The Seme Area Command said the initiative formed part of the wider modernisation of customs operations and was intended to improve passenger experience and revenue collection.
The command will continue to work with relevant government agencies and stakeholders at the Seme border to facilitate legitimate travel and trade while preventing smuggling and other illegal cross-border activities.
The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, reaffirmed the commitment of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, to using technology to strengthen transparency, accountability, compliance and trade facilitation.
Passengers and cross-border traders were encouraged to use the new declaration system and comply with all applicable customs requirements.