Uche Usim, Abuja
Three weeks after the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) launched Exercise Swift Response in conjunction with military and paramilitary agencies to sanitise the nation’s land borders and boost security, the federal government government has recorded huge gains.
Spokesman of the Nigeria Customs Service, Joseph Attah, yesterday said 100 illegal migrants had been arrested, while seizures so far include: 8,360-50kg bags of parboiled foreign rice; 122 bags of fertilizer; 77 vehicles; 781 drums filled with PMS as well as 16,371 empty 200 litres drums to be used for smuggling PMS; 1,491 packs of assorted drugs; 3 outboard 40HP Engines; 13 cotonou boats; 185 drums of groundnut oil; 6 trucks; 114 motorcycles; among other items with 117 suspects arrested. He said the seizures and arrests were from the North West, North Central, South West, and South South geopolitical zones.
Attah, said the exercise was part of the efforts to secure the national borderlines.
According to him, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd), Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mohammed Babandade and the Coordinator of the exercise, Brig Gen Emmanuel Aliyu Ndagi have commenced an on-the-spot assessment of the implementation and compliance of the border security drills.
Said Attah: “The exercise, which is being led by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), in collaboration with the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) as well as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security and intelligence agencies is intended to better secure our borders, boost national economy and strengthen border security.
“Accordingly, we continue to appeal to the patriotic spirit of all Nigerians, especially members of the business community to see the exercise as an opportunity to further create a conducive environment for local businesses to thrive in the overall interest of national security and development.”
Exercise Swift Response was launched on August 20, with the aim of promoting inter-agency cooperation and increasing preparedness to address trans-border security challenges such as terrorism, armed banditry, smuggling, proliferation of small arms and light weapons, amongst others.
48 hours after it was launched, thousands of travelers, businessmen groaned over huge losses that sprang from what they said was a total closure of the border.
In viral videos, commuters had claimed they were stranded for several hours at nigerian borders.
Customs has maintained that the borders are not shut, but heavily policed to ensure security operatives deal decisively with those found flouting government’s laws.