Seme Border Levy Dispute Escalates as Clearing Agents Petition Police Over Assault, Detained Trucks

Tensions are brewing at Nigeria's busiest land corridor as the National Compliance Joint Taskforce of Licensed Clearing Agents (NCJTFLCA), Seme Border Chapter, has formally petitioned the Nigeria Police Force, Area ‘K’ Command. The group is alleging a systematic campaign of assault, intimidation, extortion, and the unlawful detention of cargo trucks. At the center of the petition, dated April 2, 2026, and signed by the task force's Acting National President, Adaba Lawal, is the leadership of the Seme Border Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).

According to reports detailing the petition, the operational friction between the two organizations allegedly escalated during the third week of March 2026. The petitioners claim that the ANLCA leadership used unauthorized authority to cause the detention of several cargo-laden trucks belonging to NCJTFLCA members. This action occurred after the truck owners reportedly refused to comply with disputed levy collections, which the task force has described as a form of financial coercion and economic sabotage.

The roots of the conflict reportedly date back to November 2025, when a confrontation involving alleged hoodlums reportedly disrupted the activities of the task force at the Seme Border Customs Area Command. Despite prior intervention by the Divisional Police Officer at the border, the petitioners argue that undercurrents of intimidation, defamation, and incitement have continued, threatening the fragile peace at the frontier and raising fears of a complete breakdown of law and order.