The Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adeniyi, has issued a stern caution against compromising security along the borders with Republic, Cameroon, and other neighboring countries.
He also also directed that any transit goods through the Nigeria customs territory should be stopped if they are headed to Niger Republic.
Adeniyi’s directive comes in the wake of Nigeria’s closure of its land borders with Niger Republic as a response to the situation arising from the military junta in the neighboring West African nation..
Adeniyi noted criminals in an attempt to break or smuggle arms into Niger Republic may explore other land borders like that of Benin Republic and Cameroon.
Speaking during his working visit to the NCS headquarters in Ogun Area 1 Command at Idiroko, Ogun State, Adeniyi emphasized the imperative for customs operatives to remain vigilant and unwavering in their duties, particularly in light of potential attempts by criminals to exploit alternate land borders to smuggle arms into Niger Republic.
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He said implementation of the Nigeria-Niger border closure “is 100 percent.”
He called on customs operatives manning borders to be 100 percent at alert and vigilant, and wage war against any attempt to jeopardise the national security.
Adeniyi said “We are all aware of the situation in our northern neighbor, Republic of Niger. In response to the national presidential directive from our President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, President Bola Tinubu, as our president and as the Chairman of the ECOWAS authorities of heads of states, we are monitoring the situation in Niger closely and one of the decisions taken in the wisdoms of the heads of state is the closure of our borders with Niger.
“Over the last week, I paid a working visit to some of those borders and I can assure you that the implementation of that measure there is 100%. And when that happens, people, who want to smuggle things into that country, may want to explore openings in other borders. This is why it is important for you to be very, very vigilant. Anywhere we have borders, there could be compromise and there could be attempts to use routes that are not necessarily normal for them to cross things into Niger. All transit goods going into Niger for now are to be stopped anywhere you see them.
“Any transit goods through the Nigeria customs territory should be stopped if they are headed to Niger Republic. And this is also a time for us to remain very, very vigilant. Because the enemies of the state are still at work. Those who are bent in destabilizing the country, they are still at work.
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“You recall the incidents of about two weeks ago, when some elements smuggled ammunition across, using some of the plans we have here. So this is therefore a reminder that you cannot afford to relax at any point in time. Your level of vigilance and the level of alertness must be 100%. You must be ready all the time. You must cultivate very, very credible and useful intelligence from amongst the community that you live. And you must learn to synergize and cooperate with other agencies who are working together with you to enhance national security.”
Adeniyi who also met with heads of other security agencies and security chiefs from Benin Republic, called for a collaboration to fight against criminals in both countries.
He said while President Bola Tinubu and his Benin Republic counterpart, Patrice Talon, are forming bilateral agreement on economic and security, security chiefs from both countries should also form a synergy towards implementation of the policies.
“As agencies, we should show readiness to work together and fight criminals in both countries,” he said.
The customs boss, during the visit, paid homage to the Onipokia of Ipokia, Oba Yisa Olaniyan; the Oniko of Ikolaje, Oba John Ojo and other monarchs in Ipokia Local Government Area.