By Stephen Ubanna
For years cross-border traders had cried out over the too many illegal security checkpoints along the Seme corridor, particular, those mounted by the Nigerian Police Force, NPF, under the close watch of the Kayode Egetokun.
The Leadership of the security committee, comprising of the Nigerian Customs service, NCS, Seme Command, Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, Nigerian Border patrol, NBP, NPF, Nigerian Army, and the Nigerian AirForce, NAF, and other security agencies including the Department of State service, DSS, at the Land border station, were said to have made attempts at various times years to reduce the checkpoints but that was how far they could go.
Egbetokun, the IGP, may have sent a message to these security agencies personnel, particular, those of the NPF and NCS, who mount illegal checkpoints along the Seme corridor that it is no longer going to be business as usual at the Comptroller General of Customs , CGC, ‘’Award and Gala Night’’ held at Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Nov. 19, 2024.

The GP, who was said to have sent a goodwill message during the CGC, Award Night, had said that he had agreed with his NCS, Counterpart to prone down the security checkpoints along the Seme corridor to enhance cross-border trade.
The security agencies operatives along the busy Seme route may have laughed over it at the event that the duo may not be able to do so because similar actions had been taken in the past by the Customs and NPF, Chiefs, including an ex- minister of Internal Affairs but nothing came out of it.
The IGP and the Comptroller General of Customs, may have done their homework, this time around to ensure that no security agency Patrol Team, will flout the new order that they were said to have quickly moved into action to announce the approved checkpoints that should operate along the Seme axis.
The IGP, may have alluded to a closed- door meeting with officers from the NCS, Nigerian Army, NIS, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and the NPF, on the need ‘’to prevent the multiplication of checkpoints and restore sanity’’ along the busy Seme Corridor for enhanced cross-border trade along the route.
Informed sources had told The Value News that at the meeting there was no dissenting voice not even the NCS or NIS, had made a case to be allowed to establish more checkpoints along the Seme route, as the security Chiefs were said to have ‘’’’unanimously agreed that a Joint Task Force’’ will be established to be at the Federal Government, FG, approved Seme, Gbaji, , Agbara and Apa checks.
The IGP and the Customs Comptroller General, were said to sounded it clear that the checkpoints will not be dominated by one security agency or the other, but will be mounted by all the relevant security agencies personnel ‘’to ensure watertight security along the Seme border axis to curb crime’’, particular, human trafficking, smuggling , that will give room for economic growth along the route.
The bold Statement that had been made by the duo, may have sent jitters down the spines of those Seme Command officers at MTN and other illegal checkpoints operators along the Seme axis and their Counterparts in NPF, who mount illegal checkpoints who may be withdrawn to the office or their team collapsed into the approved checkpoints which already have officers overseeing the checkpoints. There are fears in both official and unofficial circles that there may be power tussle at the approve checkpoints which may result in economic sabotage and back-biting.
Given the IGP and the Comptroller General of Customs’ determination to enforce the new order to the later, the officers may have to watch it to avoid being used as escape goat as the duo are not ready to tolerate any act of insubordination.

While Egbetoukun, the IGP , The Customs Comptroller General and the other Security agencies Chiefs have swiftly moved to restore sanity along the Seme route, the situation appears different at some of the checkpoints at the Land border stations in north western states of Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina, where the Bandits Group gang Leaders and their members had at various times attacked security checkponts, particular, ones mounted by the NIS OR Customs operatives.
The most recent of such attacks was that of the NIS in, Kangwa, border Community. KT Udo, a Deputy
Comptroller, and the NIS, spokesperson, who had issued a Statement had said that the suspected bandits group gang fighters had attacked its facilities.
His worries were that ‘’ ‘’the service had recorded substantial damages on its border facilities’’. The bandits group gang may have sent the people of Kangiwa Local Government Area mourning in the state this 2025, as four persons, not NIS officers, were attacked and killed.
Determined to checkmate the activities of the bandits group gang killers, he had said that the NIS, is actively working along with other sister security agencies, ‘’to fish out and apprehend those responsible for this dastardly act and bring them to Justice’’ as a deterrence to others who might want to engage in such untoward behaviour in future.

In spite of the destruction of the NIS, facilities, at the Kangiwa border Community, an aggrieved Udo, who may have spoken the mind of Kemi Nanna Nandap, the Comptroller General, had said that ‘’the service remains steadfast in fulfilling its core mandate of ‘’border security and put a stop to human trafficking’’, had aligned with the overaching objective of the country’s security.
There is no gain saying the fact that the suspected bandits group gang fighter’s bold initiative to attack the Beninese border with Niger and Burkina Faso, two Shelian countries, which had left the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to form Alliance des Etats du Sahel, AES, may have opened the door to step up their operations in the West African subregion.
There are indications that between 2021 and Dec. 2024, one of the neighbouring Benin Republic, most well-equipped military positions which had been hit by such terrorists’ attacks had lost more than 120, military personnel.
This may have embolden the criminal elements to attack and destroy the NIS facilities in Kangiwa, a border Community in the north western state of Kebbi and Niger.It was not surprising why the NCS, Kebbi Commad and the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, superintended by Compt. Bello Ahmadu Shuaibu, the military and NPF, personnel, in Kebbi state and other parts of the north western geo-political region
Notwithstanding efforts by the Bandits group killer gangs , the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, plot to make Nigeria and other parts of the West African subregion ungovernable, the Leadership of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, had vowed that the economic bloc will do everything within its powers ‘’to eradicate terrorism and banditry in the region , through the its on-going operationalization of the Counter-terrorism Plan of Action in all its forms.
The ECOWAS, Leadership may have shown its serious ness to deal decisively with the assailants as it had called on all the member states, ‘’to intensify their Cooperation in intelligence sharing and border security to checkmate the activities of the Criminal elements in the West African sub region.
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