The Imeko border area remains a viable area where massive economic activities take place and this has to do with the movement of goods and products in and out of Nigeria. It is also a border area where the Nigerian state generates huge revenue. However, pre-COVID-19, it was a spot for smuggling activities and other cross-border criminality which the Nigerian government is aware of. One major smuggling activity is the smuggling of petroleum products from Imeko across the borders into Benin Republic. The Nigerian government responded with a number of measures among which are border closure, the banning of further erection of petrol stations 20kms away from the border which covers the whole Imeko area, closure of existing ones and sales of petroleum products in there, and lastly, the mobilisation of a Joint Task Force for enforcement. While this decision is targeted at curbing the smuggling of petroleum products, it comes with implications for the border community. With the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, countries were quick to close their borders against the movement of persons and proper checks on movement of goods across the borders. This is expected to aid the process of curbing the smuggling activities as well and perhaps provide a window of opportunity for proper planning and strategising to nip this menace in the bud. Adopting the crime pattern theory and utilising a phenomenological research paradigm therefore, this chapter delves into a post-COVID-19 assessment to ascertain what successes and otherwise failures these interventions have scored since the enforcement of such policies started. It equally, examines the coping strategies of the local people for survival in Imeko border town. This is all in a bid to come up with informed recommendations for policy impact vis-à-vis government regulations towards an enhanced border management structure and the continuing survival of the local people in their community in a post-COVID-19 era.