Nigeria/Niger borders, Customs asks general public to remain patient

…Intercepts, auctions foreign Banana

By Bisi LAWAL

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Sokoto Area Command has appealed to the general public to remain patient as the Nigeria/Niger borders still remain closed.

The Area Comptroller of the Command, Musa Omale, made the call while making a disclosure of a truck intercepted by his men conveying 1,824 cartons of foreign bananas en route to the Niger Republic from Ghana with a duty paid value of over N17.5 million.

The Ghanaian product he said, was intercepted while trying to cross over to Niger Republic through an unapproved route from Ghana without valid documents.

The seized item was auctioned as part of enforcement of the presidential directives on border closure between Nigeria and Niger Republic.

The auction process was carried out at the premises of the area command, whereby a carton of the said Banana was auctioned at N2,500 and N1,500 respectively depending on the condition of the perishable item which has been in the conveyor truck for over four days, under the watchful eyes of the officers and men of the area command.

Omale said, “The Nigeria/Niger borders were on the 30th of July 2023 closed under the directives of President Bola Tinubu as a result of coup d’etat by the military in Niger republic.

“The seizure of the foreign banana has revealed how tight security is along the borders of the two countries, in compliance with the presidential directives.

“We urged the general public to remain patient, as the Nigeria Customs is hoping for an amicable solution to the crises in the neighbouring country,” said the comptroller.

The Nigeria Customs further reminded the general public that, the border closure between Nigeria and Niger Republic still persists based on the presidential directives.