President Muhammadu Buhari‘s administration announced a total ban on the importation and exportation of all kinds of goods through the land borders nationwide.
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) said the ban would remain until the Federal Government reach an agreement with neighbouring countries on the kind of goods that should enter and exit Nigeria.
Comptroller-General (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (retd), who stated this on Monday during a press conference in Abuja, also said Niger Republic had placed a ban on export of rice to Nigeria as a result of Nigeria’s border closure.
He maintained all goods must only enter through the legitimate air and sea ports where they can undergo thorough scanning and certified fit for consumption. Ali said
“For now, all goods, whether illicit or non-illicit, are banned from going and coming into Nigeria. Let me add that for the avoidance of doubt, we have included all goods because all goods can equally come through our seaports.
“For that reason, we have deemed it necessary for now that importers of such goods should go through our controlled boarders where we have scanners to verify the goods and how healthy they are to our people.”
“We hope that by the time we get to the end of this exercise, we would have exactly between we and our neighbors agree on the type of goods that should enter and exit our country.”
The closure of borders is being enforced by the NCS and NIS, in collaboration with the Nigerian armed forces and the Nigeria Police Force. It is being coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Ali said the aim of the exercise was to better secure Nigeria’s borders, address trans-border security concerns and strengthen the economy.
This coming after NCS insisted that the border closure is a blessing, disclosing that the agency had been making between N4.7bn and N5.8bn daily.
