Outrage Over Multiple Illegal Checkpoints On Lagos-Abidjan Route, As Seme Customs Champion Reduction Process

By Roland Ekama

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has expressed concern over the proliferation of illegal security checkpoints along the Lagos-Abidjan ECOWAS Corridor, which is strangling trade and posing a significant threat to regional commerce and national image.

DAILY FOCUS NIGERIA reports that residents and traders are forced to endure humiliating stops, questioning, and delays that stunt economic growth and tarnish Nigeria’s reputation.

With millions of traders’ livelihoods hanging in the balance, the fight to reclaim the Lagos-Abidjan corridor from illegal checkpoints has become a national crisis demanding swift and transparent action from all stakeholders, led by the Seme Command of Customs.

The Customs Area Controller, Seme Command, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, while addressing stakeholders on Monday, October 6, 2025, in Lagos, condemned the numerous security checkpoints along the corridor. He stated that the management of the service is working assiduously to reduce the number of checkpoints.

During the high-stakes stakeholders’ summit, Comptroller Adenuga exposed how these multiple roadblocks have turned a key trade artery into a nightmare for traders, tourists, and travelers alike. He revealed that while the Benin Republic side enjoys smoother border controls, Nigeria’s side is crippled by rampant extortion, harassment, and corruption fueled by unauthorized “camp boys” posing as officials at dozens of disruptive checkpoints.

The Customs boss demanded urgent action, pledging to rally security agencies, traditional rulers, and border communities in a united crackdown to slash checkpoint numbers and restore sanity to the route.

He warned security agencies without business of the legal checkpoints to steer clear from the corridor and stating that management of customs has outlawed the “camp boys” from the main roads.

“We are going to work and we will make Seme corridor road a place of sanity. ” Comptroller Adenuga reiterated.

The Customs Chief emphasized the need for collective honesty and cooperation among stakeholders to address the challenges bedeviling the border axis. He stated, “We want everyone to express their minds and tell ourselves the bitter truths. The more we facilitate legitimate trade, the better for our country. When trade thrives, crime reduces. That is the vision our Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has consistently championed – building a legacy of trade facilitation and a conducive environment for economic growth.”

The Seme Customs boss highlighted the disparity in border control between the Benin Republic and Nigeria, noting that the Benin Republic side has a more seamless process for intervening in vehicles suspected of conveying questionable items.

However, frustrations boiled over as Hon. Joseph Agoro, a grassroots politician, blasted the presence of unofficial camp boys hired by security forces, accusing them of terrorizing residents and travelers and calling for Customs to intervene immediately.

The Nigerian Ambassador to Benin Republic, Ambassador Bukar Kalambe represented by the Defense Attaché, Colonel S. Yahaya, assured that the takeaways from the summit would be fully implemented.

A cross-section of stakeholders, including freight forwarders, traditional rulers, personnel of the Nigerian Army, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Nigeria Immigration Service, among others, attended the summit and gave operational challenges of their operations within the Badagry-Seme communities.