Overview 

There are no particular obstacles at the border, however sections of the road to Lagos are very bad with deep potholes, muddy and flooded sections and frequently, stuck and broken-down trucks, buses and cars that result in gridlock. 

Daily Capacity 

Trucks and cars use the same lane. Trucks generally park and wait in a separate layby lane until dark when Nigerian truck drivers prefer to travel. Daily average for trucks through the border is 55 trucks (50 Benin to Nigeria, 5 Nigeria to Benin). There is little formality for cars or pedestrians crossing the border and most inspections of cars entering Nigeria are carried out on the many formal and informal checkpoints present for the first 15 km on the road to Lagos. 

Customs Clearance 

Importation of humanitarian goods: For more information on customs in Nigeria, please see the following link: 1.3 Nigeria Customs Information  

Exportation of humanitarian goods: the requirements are Packing list, Commercial Invoice, Waybill and Export Permit from Customs. Some Items may also require approval from the Presidency. 

Other Relevant Information 

For trucks leaving Nigeria, provided all papers are in order, waiting time is generally less than 1 hour to obtain clearance to cross the border into Benin. 

For trucks entering Nigeria, Customs operate an electronic scanner that will facilitate clearance in less than an hour. In the event it is not operating manual inspections may take up to 2 hours. There is no delay on the Benin side. 

While trucks attract official attention, cars and pedestrians cross the border at will with little or no attention from customs or immigration. 

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Nigeria Government Contact List 

Photos of Lagos-Seme road:

Overview 

The border is busy with no particular obstacles. It is operated by the Nigeria Customs Service. Updates on road conditions and accessibility should be obtained from the local office of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). At time of writing (June 2019) all trucks to the border were required to travel the road from Maiduguri to the border in escorted convoy with an overnight stopover in Gajibo before travelling to the border, where the commercial trucks enter a bonded area and their Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) issued by customs in Maiduguri are checked by the military before travelling the remaining short distance to cross the border. Trucks carrying humanitarian cargo go through a similar process.   

There is no fuel available at the border or en route. There is very little secure storage available at the border. 

Accommodation may be available for registered humanitarian agencies at the UN humanitarian Hub: www.humanitarianbooking.wfp.org  

Daily Capacity 

Very busy. All traffic uses same crossing lane. Capacity is limited by hours of operation and time taken to inspect vehicles. Around 50 to 200 trucks per day is normal. 

Customs Clearance 

Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) operate the customs post. Standard documentation is required (see below). Without prior arrangement customs will not be available on weekends or public holidays. 

For more information on customs in Nigeria please see the following link: 1.3 Nigeria Customs Information

Exportation of humanitarian goods: the requirements are: Packing list, Commercial Invoice, Waybill and Export Permit from Customs. Some items may also require approval from the Presidency.   

Other Relevant Information 

Very busy border, functions as per regular Nigerian Customs Service rules and regulations, Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) issued by customs in Maiduguri are checked by the military before crossing the border. 

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Nigeria Government Contact List

Overview

Available facilities are examination bay, scanning machine and generating plant to power the scanning machines. There are no obstacles as long as the vehicle document is correct. 

Traffic is relatively heavy especially on market days. All vehicles use the same lane. Traffic leaving and entering approximately the same. 

Customs clearance is for cargo or merchandize goods. This involves examination to determine whether what is being carried corresponds to the cargo declaration in quantity and value. 

These goods are generally in 2 categories:  

- Heavy-duty trucks and trailers 

- Cars and light vehicles with small quantities of goods for petty traders. 

The former requires Form M application and presentation of Single Goods Declaration (SGD) as evidence of payment of duty. The latter are assessed by valuation unit at the HQ and given a specific amount to pay as duty depends on the type of goods and the type of vehicle used for conveyance. The carriers also require laissez passer if it’s a foreign registered vehicle. This involves a bond to make sure that after discharging the vehicle comes back and crosses to the other side. 

The only waiting time is the time it takes to finish examination. The examination is conducted jointly with other relevant government agencies. 

It should be noted that although Katsina has an ‘International’ airport, all but a handful of annual flight volumes are domestic, the only contributor to international flight volume is for Hajj (annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca) therefore there are no permanent customs or immigration services.

Daily Capacity

Traffic is relatively heavy especially during market days as all moving vehicles uses the same route/lane. Traffic leaving or entering is almost the same.  

Customs Clearance

Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) operate the customs post. Standard documentation is required (see below).

Importation of Humanitarian Goods: for more information on customs in Nigeria, please see the following link: 1.3 Nigeria Customs Information

Exportation of Goods: Exportation of humanitarian goods: the requirements are Packing list, Commercial Invoice, Waybill and Export Permit from Customs. Some Items may also require approval from the Presidency.   

Other Relevant Information

For more information on government contactdetails, please see the following link: 4.1 Nigeria Government Contact List