The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has clarified that the federal government has not lifted the ban on vehicle importation through the Seme border.
Reports had suggested that the border was now open for vehicle importation, but Hussaini Abdullahi, the Customs Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the Seme area command, stated in an interview with NAN that no pronouncement had been made regarding the reopening of the border.
He explained that a proposal was submitted to the federal government by some freight forwarders following advice from the former minister of state for transportation, Ademola Adegoroye.
Adegoroye had visited the border in February and advised the freight forwarders to submit their request in writing. Abdullahi mentioned that the letter had been received and passed on to a higher authority, but no directive had been given on the matter.
It is worth noting that former President Muhammadu Buhari had closed all land borders in August 2019 to combat smuggling and promote local rice production.
However, on December 6, 2020, Buhari ordered the immediate reopening of four land borders, including the Seme border in Lagos.
