At the 2016 Comptroller General Annual Conference and Stakeholders’ Interactive Forum in Lafia, Nasarawa State, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Mr. Martin Kure Abeshi disclosed that of about the 1, 500 identified land border crossings into Nigeria, only 114, covering about 4,000 square kilometres, had approved control posts manned by immigration officials and other security agencies.

According to him, over 1,400 illegal routes are not manned, stressing that “this has grave security implications for the country.”
He said NIS’s approximately 23, 000 staff strength was grossly inadequate for the task of policing Nigeria’s vast borders.
Nigeria has international land borders of about 4,470 kilometres (2,513 miles) with Chad, Cameroon, Benin, and Niger, and a coastline of 774 kilometres (480 miles), which are largely unmanned. Among the manned borders, there are some considered to be very important to the country in terms of their contribution to the Nigerian economy. One of them is the Seme border.

This border over the years is a household name and considered to be the only international land border that contributes substantially to the country’s socio-economic development. These historical facts are corroborated by the statistical documentation of economic activities that have thrived through the Lagos-Abidjan corridor both in terms of human and vehicular movements.
     Being a renowned border that links most of the West African countries within the sub-region, and its pivotal role in the economic development of Nigeria and West Africa at large, it is a known fact that the corridor has attracted both legitimate international and local travellers across the frontier, this international attraction is also accompanied with its dare consequences of illicit and illegal activities like smuggling, drug trafficking, human immigration/trafficking, terrorism and money laundering amongst others.
Unfortunately, Seme border, which is an approved international route was known and seen over the years by the public for its negative trans-border crimes than the legitimate means of trade transaction, movement of people and the link it has with other West African Countries.