The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Command, Badagry, on Friday said it is reclaiming land that has, over the years, been encroached on by the public without due process and approval in the command area.
The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Mohammed Aliyu, who made the disclosure in a statement, said the command would ensure that the structures were demolished.
He said that those with approval were directed to update their status by routing their request to the Comptroller-General of Customs through his office.
Aliyu expressed worry about how the land belonging to the service was overtaken by illegal occupants.
He explained that the land, which was gazetted since 1978 by the Land Decree, would not be allowed to be encroached on.
The Seme command boss warned trespassers to keep off or lose whatever resources they expended on the land.
Aliyu said that he was determined to ensure that miscreants and touts who infiltrated the border to perpetrate trans-border crimes were flushed out.
He said, “Operation flush out touts from the border” is in place against those impersonating as officers or imposters to deceive innocent travellers along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor.”
The controller said that with the consent of the customs headquarters, he was sanitising the gateway corridor to meet the global standard of international land borders within the West Africa sub-region.