Nigeria has reopened the Tsamiya Border Corridor in Kebbi State, North-West Nigeria, restoring a major agricultural trade route with neighbouring Benin Republic after nearly seven years of closure.
President Bola Tinubu, approved the reopening of the corridor, which was shut in 2019 by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, as part of efforts to curb widespread smuggling and protect domestic agricultural production.
The corridor located in Bagudo Local Government Area and linked to Segbana in Benin Republic, has long served as a critical outlet for agricultural exports into West Africa.
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, said the corridor would operate under enhanced surveillance, ICT-driven tracking systems, and stricter profiling of licensed customs agents to prevent diversion and smuggling.
He added that the reopening would allow more than 2,000 trucks stranded at the border for months to resume lawful transit.
In May 2025, the NCS, in collaboration with the Benin Republic Customs Administration, launched the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit (SIGMAT), a digital platform designed to improve monitoring, transparency, and coordination of cross-border trade between both countries.
Stakeholders say the reopening could help ease regional trade bottlenecks, reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen Kebbi State’s role as a strategic gateway for agricultural exports, provided enforcement measures remain effective.
Safiya Mohammed Bello
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