Stakeholders at Seme Border Call for Review of Vehicle Import Ban, Cite 150 Deaths and Economic Ruin

Freight forwarders and car dealers operating at the Seme border have urged the Federal Government to immediately review the ban on vehicle importation through land borders, blaming the policy for over 150 deaths among freight forwarding agents and the widespread collapse of businesses in the sector.

In a statement made available to *The PUNCH* on Wednesday, the stakeholders, led by Celestine Esezobor, described the restriction, which has been in force since 31 December 2016, as a case of “throwing the baby and the bathwater away.” They argued that the policy had not only failed to achieve its objectives but had also inflicted severe economic hardship on operators and border communities.

The group stated: “The shocking death of many freight forwarding agents, about one hundred and fifty plus (150+), the unquantifiable losses in rents, theft, depreciation, and complete closure or destruction of offices, government revenue losses, all these present a compelling urgent need for deep sober reflection and retrospection.”

They called for an urgent review to halt further economic damage and revive legitimate trade at the border.

According to the stakeholders, reopening vehicle importation through the Seme border under a bonded terminal arrangement would significantly boost revenue generation and improve customs oversight. They disclosed that the “Only God Is Wise” bonded terminal at the border could accommodate approximately 130 vehicles at a time, enabling customs authorities to monitor imports and collect duties more efficiently.

“The Nigeria Customs Service will be able to generate revenue that will surpass the present and even 2015/16 levels before the closure of the vehicle seat. As at 2015/16, the vehicle seat generated 51.12 per cent of the total revenue at Seme border,” the statement read.

The freight forwarders contended that the availability of a bonded terminal would curb smuggling and ensure better compliance with customs regulations. They maintained that vehicle smuggling, one of the major justifications advanced for the ban, had drastically abated at the border.

Dismissing claims that reopening the border would encourage illegal trade, they insisted that a regulated import system would instead curtail smuggling. They alleged that vehicles continued to enter the country illegally despite the prohibition, resulting in significant revenue losses for the government.

“Have vehicles stopped entering the country through the land border since the inception of the ban? The candid answer is a capital NO. Our investigation has revealed that Tokunbo and brand-new vehicles are actually being smuggled into the country through illegal routes daily, with the government obviously losing a considerable amount of revenue,” they stated.

The group further claimed that customs officers had been exposed to greater risks due to confrontations with smugglers operating on uncharted routes, a situation they linked to congestion and inefficiencies at the nation’s seaports. They argued that vehicle importers were willing to pay duties but deliberately avoided the ports because of “terrible congestion and inefficiencies of port service providers.”

The stakeholders also emphasised that lifting the ban would restore thousands of jobs lost across the freight forwarding value chain, including those of vehicle sourcing agents, secretaries, drivers, and customs processing personnel. They expressed optimism that the Seme border could regain its economic relevance if the government adopted their recommendations and reopened the corridor for vehicle imports under a monitored bonded terminal arrangement.