By Stephen Ubanna
For years past Inspector Generals of Police, IGP with the Collaboration of their Counter parts in the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, including paster ministers of Interiors in previous Administrations, had made efforts to reduce the number of illegal checkpoints along the Lagos-Seme border Community road to ensure seamless cross-border trade and free movement of persons but no luck.
At a point the security Chiefs appears to have succeeded in their action but had relaxed giving room to the illegal checkpoints mounted by Nigerian Police, NPF, personnel and Customs Patrol Teams to reemerge, making things difficult for motorists and cross-border traders who were said to have cried out to the Authorities but that was how far they could go.
Recall that in June 2024, the NCS, under the close watch of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, had reportedly said that it had reduced the number of checkpoints along the busy Seme route by 50 % to the applause of importers with their Agents and other stakeholders plying the route for their businesses in the West Coast.
Timi Bomodi a Area Controller of Seme Command Area Controller, and now an Assistant Comptroller General, Enforcement, Inspections and Investigations, EI&I, at the Customs Headquarters , Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, had reportedly said that the Customs Authorities took the bold initiative because ‘’the numerous checkpoints along the busy international Seme route was inimical to trade’’. He was said to have further stated that the move was intended ‘’to position the Seme Command officers more strategically to do their job’’.
The then Seme Command Area Controller who may have spoken the mind of the Customs Comptroller General, who was said to be just barely a month in office, after taking over from Hameed Ali, a retired Army Colonel and his predecessor may have gladdened the heart of Nigerians when he stated that there is no need to just proliferate the Lagos- Seme international route with security agencies personnel without thinking of the strategic implications of their deployment.
There are about 99 Communities between Seme and Agbara which exists on both sides of the road divide between Nigeria and the West African country of Republic of Benin. Some of the border Communities, according to a Badagry resident are close to the road, some to the ocean and some to the rivers and creeks.
The immediate past Seme Command Area Controller who was said to have had the backing of the no nonsense Customs helmsman, to effect the Management decision to ensure that the dismantled Customs and other security agencies checkpoints along the road did not return may have been disappointed as it was still business as usual.
Kayode Egbetokun, the Ogun state born Inspector General of Police, IGP, who could no longer take itwas said to have given his words at the Nov. 29, 2024, CGC Award Night at the FCT, that he is currently discussing with his Customs Counterpart, Adeniyi, ‘’to reduce the number of checkpoints along the Lagos-Seme-road’’.
True to his words, barely five months of giving the promise, the duo appears to have kept to the it. Acting on the mandate of the two security Chiefs, Compt. Ben Nkem Oramalugo, who had replaced Kayode Kolade, who had retired after 35 years in the service line with the Federal Civil Regulations, appears to have moved into action.
Acting out the script of the Comptroller General and the IGP, the Customs Comptroller who was said to have opportunity of meeting the top security personnel around the Seme Jurisdictions during his Familiarization visit and to have heart to heart discussion with them and counting on their support.
A motorist plying the Lagos-Seme International route had confirmed that since the new Customs Comptroller assumed duties at the busy Seme Command, last February, he had worked relentlessly with other members of the Border Security Committee, to ensure that the Lagos-Seme-road was cleared of the illegal checkpoints.
Many believe that he may have succeeded in clearing the numerous illegal checkpoints along the Morovia Corridor because of how he was able to do it with other members of the border Security Committee around the Saki and Iseyin axis, and notorious border routes in Oyo jurisdictions when he was the Area Controller of Oyo/Osun Command.
An insider confirmed that between February and 2025 and now, the Seme Border Security Committee members comprising of all the Border Security Agencies, DSS, including the Department of Military Intelligence, DMI, personnel have continued to meet on a regular basis to review the security situation at around the Seme Jurisdictions with a view to addressing the challenges.
The Value News online Magazine sighted the security Chiefs going for the meeting Chaired by Comptroller Oramalugo at the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Complex on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. The meeting was said to have lasted for over two hours as the security Chiefs were said to have looked at each other eye ballot eye ball.
The good news was that the numerous Force and Customs Checkpoints including other illegal security agencies checkpoints along the Lagos-Seme Road had from Gbaji bridge to Shitolu school, which had disappeared since February, 2025, were said to have bee replaced by a Joint Border Patrol Team with their patrol vehicle parked along the road for quick response for any serious operation.
It was not surprising why the over 3o Police checkpoints on the busy Lagos-Seme Road, and the other illegal checkpoints mounted by the Seme Command Patrol Team officers, Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, NIS, Border Patrol officers may have disappeared in day time but returns at night todo what they are used to doing: Compromise.
The Value News on Line could count easily count the number of Police, Customs NIS and Border Patrol checkpoints on the road. Take for instance while going to the Seme border Community before now there were several NIS, Border Patrol and NDLEA, checkpoints on both sides of the Lagos-Seme Road disrupting movement of passengers but which had reduced to a manageable figure of four each.
A source, however confirmed that there are still some gray areas that needed to be sorted out between the Seme Command Area Controller and the military Chiefs around the Seme Jurisdiction , particular, the Naval Chief, to be able to clip the wings of the Asian countries of Thailand par boiled rice and India agricultural par boiled rice smugglers, including those involved in smuggling Cannabis Sativa, popular India Hemp, second Handing clothing through the creeks and Watersides into the country and in turn smuggle Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular Petrol from Nigeria to the neighbouring Benin Republic.
Even with the little success that was said to have been achieved so far in bringing the situation at the Seme border Community under control, by the Seme Border Security Committee, under the close watch of Compt. Oramalugo, motorists and other Cross-border traders are happy and are going about their business without any fear of been stopped by security agencies personnel on the road including the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, officials unnecessarily, except ‘’the usual routine stop and search’’, which an eyewitness account confirmed is yielding results.
