Following the recent military takeover in Niger, President Bola Tinubu has ordered the closing of all of the country’s land borders with the Republic of Niger.
Bashir Adeniyi Adewale, the acting comptroller general of the Nigeria Customs Service, announced this development on Friday. He said that it was based on agreements made by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) following the coup in the Niger Republic.
After inspecting Nigeria’s border facilities with Niger in Katsina State on Friday, Adewale told reporters in Jibia that the Customs Service is prepared to follow the President’s directive completely.
While noting that the implementation of the order would be 100 percent, the customs boss said they would work with other security agencies to ensure that all inbound and outbound cargoes in and out of Nigeria will not be allowed during the period of border closure.
In his words, “As we know, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is a champion of economic integration in West Africa.
“He believes so much that trade with our neighbours can bring prosperity to Nigerians and other people within the sub-region.
“He has demonstrated this in words and this might have contributed to his emergence as Head of ECOWAS within a month of his emergence as President of Nigeria.
“Now, we have a situation in our hands where there is instability and insecurity.
“This situation does not allow for trade to flourish.
“We cannot have any meaningful trade in an atmosphere of insecurity and instability that we presently have in Niger Republic.
“That is why the ECOWAS, through the authority of the Heads of States, took the decision to suspend and close all land borders with the Republic of Niger.
“It is the responsibility of the Nigeria Customs Service, working with other agencies of government, to implement the decision in its entirety.
“I have gone round some border stations and I am happy with what I have seen in terms of compliance.
“The Nigeria Customs Service has joint operations with other security agencies at the border drills and they have been deployed to ask the border areas to carry out the implementation of the border closure order.”
“The compliance has to be 100 percent which means that all in-bound and out-bound cargoes in and out of Nigeria will not be allowed during the period of border closure.”
Ada Peter
