Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
The Customs Border Drill Sector Coordinator for North Central Nigeria, Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba, has promised to visit border communities in Kwara State.
Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba disclosed this when the Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Salihu Yakubu Danladi, visited his office.
He made clear that the partial closing of Nigeria’s land borders is not intended to witch-hunt or obstruct any legal businesses nor any community, but to prevent the illegal export of petroleum products, to encourage local farmers and manufacturers, to control the inflow of arms and ammunition, to stop the traffick illicit drugs and other prohibited goods into the country, and to enable neighbouring countries to comply with ECOWAS protocols on cross-border trade.
Garba, who is posted from Seme Area Command to Sector Three 3, said the Nigerian Customs service is just an implementer of Federal Government policies and advised that state governments should channel their grievances through the appropriate quarters.
The Comptroller promised to use the opportunity of his visit to meet with individuals and bodies engaged in legitimate business, mentioning that border security seeks to solve the critical problems of irregular migration and trans-border crimes such as the smuggling of small arms and light weapons, illicit petroleum products, human trafficking, drug trafficking and terrorism, among other issues.
He added that these crimes must be tackled head-on and that was what had informed the Federal Government in closing the country’s land borders.
The Nigeria Customs Service on August 20, 2019, on the directive of the Federal Government, partially closed Nigeria’s land borders.
Earlier in the visit, Salihu Yakubu Danladi in the company of Chairman House Committee on Education and Human Capital Development, Hon. Mohammed Baba Salihu, expressed concern over the hardship of fuel scarcity presently being faced by the four districts of Baruten Local Government Area of the state (Ilesha Baruba-Okuta-Chikanda Axis).
The Speaker appealed to the Sector Coordinator to reconsider the decision of restricting fuel supply 20 km to border communities, as a litre of petrol is now selling for between N250 and N300.