The Federal Government on Friday ordered the immediate closure of all land borders with the Niger Republic over the current political instability in the latter.
According to Channels Television, the policy, according to the Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCoS), Bashir Adeniyi Adewale, is in the best interest of both countries.
The Federal Government has instructed stakeholders in border management to achieve complete compliance, according to Adewale, who was at the Jibia Border in Katsina State to monitor the degree of compliance.
“As we all know, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is a supporter of West Africa’s economic unification. He has a strong belief that trading with our neighbor can benefit Nigerians and other residents of the sub-region.
He had shown this both his words and conduct. This may have helped him become the head of ECOWAS less than a month after becoming the president of Nigeria.
“Right now, we are dealing with an unstable and unsafe scenario. The state of affairs prevents the growth of trade. In the current state of instability and insecurity in the Niger Republic, we are unable to engage in any serious trade.
“For this reason, the ECOWAS had decided to suspend and close all land borders with the Republic of Niger under the authority of the Heads of States.”
He claims that in order to enforce the policy at all porous borders, the Service has sent officers and members of the joint operations team on border drills.
“It is the duty of the Nigeria Customs Service, in collaboration with other governmental bodies, to fully carry out the decision. I’ve visited a few border checkpoints, and I’m pleased with the level of compliance I’ve observed,” the Customs chief continued.
“The Nigeria Customs Service is participating in the border drill with other security agencies, and they have been sent to the border regions to carry out the border closure order’s implementation. All inbound and outbound shipments into and out of Nigeria will not be permitted during the duration of border closure because compliance must be 100%.
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