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Viewing cable 09ABUJA748, NIGERIA: VISIT TO NIGERIA-BENIN BORDER AND LAGOS AIRPORT

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09ABUJA748 2009-04-30 10:53 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Abuja
VZCZCXRO3101
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHUJA #0748/01 1201053
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301053Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5889
INFO RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS PRIORITY 1227
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0246
RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000748 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT PASS TO USTR FOR AGAMA AND VETERE; PTO FOR HICKEY; LOC 
FOR USCO PPINHA; AID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ 
BAGHDAD FOR MCCULLOUGH 
TREASURY FOR PETERS, IERONIMO AND HALL 
USDOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS AND 3130/USFC/OIO/ANESA/MCREED 
DOJ FOR MKOUAME 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIPR ETRD ECON EINV EAID PGOV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: VISIT TO NIGERIA-BENIN BORDER AND LAGOS AIRPORT 
 
REF: ABUJA 746 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - NOT FOR DISTRO OUTSIDE USG 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: On April 6, 2009 an interagency USG Team visited 
the Nigeria-Benin border to observe the movement of goods and people 
between the two countries.  The Seme border crossing post is manned 
by 650 Nigerian Customs Officers and is a major transit point of 
goods in West Africa.  On April 9 the same team visited the Lagos 
international airport to observe customs procedures there.  The team 
identified major problem areas at both the border and airport that 
need to be remedied.  In response, the USG will sponsor additional 
workshops in late June 2009 focused solely on NCS and increasing its 
capacity to detect counterfeit products at the border.  The Nigerian 
Customs Service (NCS) has demonstrated an eagerness to work closely 
with the USG on capacity building to enforce intellectual property 
(IP) rights.  Following two years of targeted training, we expect 
the NCS will increase seizures and prosecutions of counterfeiters in 
2009.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) On April 6, Econ Deputy accompanied by representatives from 
the U.S. Department of Justice; U.S. Department of Homeland 
Security; World Customs Organization and Nigerian Customs Service 
Controller Grace Adeyemo traveled to the Seme Area border crossing 
between Nigeria and Benin to observe customs operations.  The border 
crossing between Benin and Nigeria has one of the largest volumes of 
trade in Africa and the largest in West Africa. 
. 
Ride to the Border 
------------------ 
. 
3. (SBU) The 85 miles long Badagary road from Lagos to the border is 
notorious for traffic accidents and check points and it lived up to 
its reputation with numerous crashed vehicles littering the roadway 
and heavy traffic.  The two hour trip crossed several small rivers, 
where Fisherman's wooden canoes laid on river banks.  Adeyemo 
commented that counterfeiters sometimes smuggle goods via these 
canoes because Customs has no active maritime enforcement component. 
 
 
4. (SBU) Econ Deputy counted more than 20 checkpoints in each 
direction on the roadway.  The checkpoints were alternately manned 
by officers representing the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency 
(NDLEA), Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Immigration and Customs.  Econ 
Deputy observed at least four Customs checkpoints and was told they 
were set up to prevent "weapons smuggling." 
. 
Field Trip Reveals NCS Shortcomings 
----------------------------------- 
. 
5. (SBU) Upon arrival at the border both sides of the road swelled 
with kiosks, walking vendors, trucks and cars.  From the border 
post, you could see and smell the dark blue ocean and beach nearby. 
At the border are two long buildings on both sides - one for 
Nigerian government operations and the other for Benin's government 
operations.  Curiously, the main structures are both located 300 
yards inside of Benin and not precisely at the border.  Econ Deputy 
witnessed a group of robbers attack a Nigerian man; several Nigerian 
Customs Officers responded and thwarted the robbery.  Unfortunately 
for the NCS officers, they were promptly arrested by Benin police 
for using their weapons on Benin soil.  They were later released but 
jurisdiction remains an issue at the border. 
 
6. (SBU) Econ Deputy had a difficult time ascertaining the formal 
border crossing procedures.  There were non-uniformed men manning a 
long pole across the road.  It was unclear what documents needed to 
be presented to pass.  It was also unclear who these non-uniformed 
men represented.  Along the sides of the office buildings are 
located plank board desks manned by uniformed representatives of 
Nigerian Immigration, Customs and NDLEA.  We observed very little 
movement there in the stifling mid-day heat.  However, there were 
numerous people, donkey carts and vendors passing back and forth on 
the road.  One NDLEA agent become animated when she noticed a camera 
and asked not to be photographed until after she finished eating 
lunch. 
 
7. (SBU) Area NCS Comptroller A.S. Aneke told the team that more 
than 650 Customs Officers manned the post.  Aneke said he had spent 
the past two years as a liaison officer at the Nigerian Investment 
 
ABUJA 00000748  002 OF 002 
 
 
Promotion Council and understood very well the need to improve 
customs operations.  When asked about officer training on 
counterfeit detection, Aneke explained that his officers had no 
training and at this time were not capable of enforcing IP laws.  He 
encouraged the team to do further capacity building with NCS. 
(Note:  In response to Aneke's comments and other suggestions the 
June 2009 Customs Border Enforcement Workshop sponsored by the U.S. 
Patent and Trademark Organization will spend one day at the Seme 
border to provide training.  End Note.) 
 
8. (SBU) Aneke underscored that the mission of his officers was to 
collect the proper tariff on imported goods and prevent goods from 
entering or leaving Nigeria that were prohibited.  Customs revenue 
is the GON's second largest source of income.  Due to congestion at 
ports in the Lagos area, he said traffic volumes have increased at 
Seme border because importers now shift sea cargo to Benin and then 
truck the goods to Nigeria.  Econ Deputy counted more than 100 
trucks loading and unloading at the border. 
 
9. (SBU) Aneke briefed the team on Customs procedures and explained 
that the Single Goods Declaration (SGD) is the most important 
document and that it is used within the Economic Community of West 
African States (ECOWAS) countries.  The DOJ/DHS experts were 
underwhelmed with the low tech procedures.  Several remarked that 
they were shocked that there was no central computer system.  The 
team used their practical observations from the trip to better focus 
their presentations at the following three-day workshop. 
. 
Airport Visit 
------------- 
. 
10. (SBU) On April 9 the interagency USG team visited Lagos 
International Airport to observe Customs operations.  The team 
visited a central processing area where cargo information was 
entered into a computer database to ascertain the proper tariff on 
imported goods.  The team reported the system appeared modern and in 
good order, but it could not detect any information to prevent 
importation of counterfeit products. 
 
11. (SBU) Next, the team visited several warehouses where imported 
products are housed and inventoried before being released.  Several 
team members observed half open boxes that contained clearly 
identifiable counterfeit products.  In addition, large numbers of 
people were found to be hanging around the warehouses and it was 
difficult to determine their purpose or whether they belonged in 
these sensitive areas.  The team noticed a number of boxes stacked 
oddly close to a main wall and concluded the boxes made a "perfect 
ladder over the security wall" to make it easier to remove goods. 
The lack of controlled access and organization was a major concern 
for the team. 
 
12. (SBU) Comment: The disorganization observed at both the border 
and airport highlights the problem NCS faces.  NCS has neither the 
resources nor capacity to effectively curb counterfeiters.  Despite 
this, the NCS has taken positive actions by participating with the 
USG in capacity building programs and it plans to hold a May 26-27 
Intellectual Property Summit in Abuja to increase awareness, 
interagency cooperation and build political will among the private 
sector and the GON.  A cadre of active and knowledgeable NCS 
officers has been developed following two years of USG capacity 
building.  From their initiative, in 2008 the NCS created an IP task 
force and revised tariff regulations to increase its powers to 
prosecute IP pirates.  Now that the NCS has increased its 
cooperation with the private sector and within the GON we expect 
more seizures and prosecutions of counterfeiters in 2009.  End 
Comment. 
 
13. (U) This cable was coordinated with ConGen Lagos. 
 
SANDERS