Steve Agbota
There were strong indications yesterday that the Federal Government may soon commence a review of its policy closure of filling stations in border communities.
Acting Coordinator of Border Drill Operation, Sector 3, Compt. Garba Mohammed, who gave the hint in Ilorin, yesterday, explained that the government’s directive that no fuel should be supplied beyond 20km radius to the border communities, was necessitated by atrocities being committed at the border areas by smugglers of petroleum products.
“People who engage in illegality are those that made government to make these decisions. But government, being an umbrella for all, is now considering the behaviour of the border communities,” he said.
A National Task Force on Border Drill was inaugurated in August 2019 to checkmate illegal activities, including security challenges, around Nigerian borders.
Sector 3 of border drill operation covers four North Central states of Benue, Kogi, Kwara and Niger.
The acting coordinator said DPR, a government agency that has the responsibility for granting licenses, would be the one to determine which filling station to reopen or completely close down.
He said that the proliferation of filling stations in border communities and people engaging in illegalities had informed the decision to stop fuel supply to the affected border communities.
“The committee on border drill discovered that the population of residents in the affected areas, compared to the number of available filling stations are incomparable but that the agencies that grant license are now having a rethink on the matter” he said.
Already, Mohammed said that the organisations that grant license had taken a tour round the border communities, with a view to making a decision in terms of who would be granted license and on what basis.
“This is because government has realised that there is a problem somewhere. I believe that the controller had taken the tour with a view to working with security agencies or the border drill to find a lasting solution,” he said.
He said that henceforth petrol will be dispensed to such communities to genuine traders and users and not for illegal exportation.
“The border closure took a long time before it became effective, but I am optimistic that government will consider the policy, with a view to assisting innocent members of the affected communities,” he said.
Mohammed said during a sensitsation visit to Ilesha, Baruba, Kosubosu and Chikanda areas, there were quality feedback from several stakeholders and community leaders.
He said the task force has saved the Federal Government over N703million within the two months of its operations in North Central Nigeria. The figure, he said, represented the monetary value of goods seized by the team since inception in December 2019.
According to him, the goods excluded the number of illicit weapons recovered from suspects during the period under review.
“We have seized 12,255 bags of rice; 252 litres of petrol; 6, 617 litres of diesel; 177 vehicles; 80 motor vehicles and repatriated 160 illegal immigrants. We also recovered 11 illicit weapons which include five single barrels, one locally made pistol and cartridges.