Key Points
- ACG Abdullahi Kaila has handed over the leadership of the Seme Area Command to Deputy Comptroller Olisa Alumanah.
- The Command generated over ₦27 billion between March and October 2026.
- The reported revenue represents a 233 per cent increase over the corresponding period of 2025.
- Kaila attributed the performance to stronger compliance, operational coordination and stakeholder cooperation.
- He urged officers and sister agencies to extend their support to his successor.
Main Story
The outgoing Customs Area Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Abdullahi Kaila, has handed over the leadership of the Command to Deputy Comptroller Olisa Alumanah.
Kaila, who was recently elevated to the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General and appointed a member of the Management of the Nigeria Customs Service, handed over after approximately seven and a half months in office.
During his tenure, the Command generated over ₦27 billion between March and October 2026, compared with approximately ₦8 billion recorded during the corresponding period of 2025. The Command reported an increase of about ₦19 billion, representing approximately 233 per cent.
Kaila attributed the revenue performance to improved compliance, stronger operational coordination, effective monitoring of cross-border trade, enhanced enforcement of Customs regulations and the collective efforts of officers and stakeholders.
He dedicated the achievement to officers and personnel who contributed to the Command’s revenue drive, while acknowledging the cooperation of traders, licensed Customs agents and other members of the business community.
On enforcement, the Command recorded seizures of illicit drugs and other prohibited goods during the period. Kaila said the interceptions resulted from intelligence gathering, proper processing and the timely sharing of actionable information, preventing dangerous and unwholesome products from entering the country.
He identified inter-agency collaboration as one of the Command’s major operational strengths. As Chairman of the Joint Border Security Committee, Kaila worked with the Department of State Services, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service and Port Health Services, among others.
The outgoing Controller appealed to the agencies to extend the same level of cooperation to Alumanah. He also thanked traditional rulers, community leaders, traders, transport operators, licensed Customs agents and other stakeholders for supporting the Command, stressing that the Seme border must remain a gateway for legitimate trade and lawful economic activity.
Kaila congratulated the Acting Customs Area Controller and urged officers and men of the Command to remain united, disciplined and professional. He reminded them that the Customs uniform represents an institution entrusted with protecting Nigeria’s economic interests, security and sovereignty.
Kaila assumed leadership of the strategic land-border Command on 18 March 2026 and handed over on 11 November 2026. He expressed gratitude to God and to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for the confidence reposed in him.
The Issues
The Seme border is a critical gateway for trade and movement between Nigeria and neighbouring countries. Its operations require Customs personnel to facilitate legitimate commerce while preventing smuggling, revenue leakages and the movement of prohibited goods.
Sustaining the Command’s performance will depend on effective monitoring, intelligence-led enforcement, voluntary compliance and cooperation among security, regulatory and border-management agencies.
The incoming leadership must also maintain constructive engagement with border communities, traders, transport operators and licensed Customs agents to support lawful trade without compromising national security.
What’s Being Said
“Positions may change, responsibilities may increase and individuals may move on, but the values that sustain an institution must remain constant,” Kaila said.
“Discipline, integrity, teamwork, professionalism and commitment to national service must continue to define our conduct.”
What’s Next
Deputy Comptroller Olisa Alumanah will oversee the Command in an acting capacity, with responsibility for sustaining its revenue performance, strengthening enforcement and maintaining cooperation with sister agencies and border stakeholders.
Officers and partner agencies are expected to support the new leadership in facilitating legitimate trade, combating smuggling and protecting Nigeria’s economic and security interests along the border corridor.
Bottom Line
Kaila leaves the Seme Area Command following a tenure marked by reported revenue growth, enforcement interventions and stronger inter-agency collaboration. Alumanah now assumes responsibility for consolidating those gains while maintaining discipline, compliance and operational effectiveness.
