For operatives of the Nigerian Customs, Immigration and Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency on one hand, and on the other the army of unrepentant smugglers, it is nightmares made possible by the thousands of illegal crossings on Nigeria’s borders.
Problems caused by porous borders in some states of the country over the years, almost grounded the economy of Nigeria to a halt until the Federal Government declared a state of emergency in three affected states and backed it up with military operations to flush out as well as stop the activities of insurgents.
The Nigerian Immigration Service has also woken to its duty call after a replacement of their Comptroller-General and recently the service Spokesman, Patrick Pius Obua, said about 695 illegal immigrants were deported last month.
According to him, 130 were deported from Kano, Katsina, Kaduna and Lagos.
Others, according to him, were FCT 33, Sokoto 117, Rivers 47, Oyo 115 and Ogun 253.
Seme border in Lagos State, is one of Nigeria’s most popular border town that has porous paths were smugglers use.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the border, Chief Superintendent Mu’azu, while addressing a joint delegate of the European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) stated that the population of people seen at the border could be as much as 6000 persons daily, while 60 percent of them are criminals.
He said some of the criminals wreck havoc on innocent travelers, while others are involved in the smuggling of various items through unapproved routes into Nigeria.
The police officer said among items smuggled into the country are arms and ammunition bought from war torn countries in West Africa.
He said some of the criminals are cripples who ferry smuggled items from Benin Republic into Nigeria using self made tricycles.
CSP Mu’azu further stated that the recent arms confrontations in countries like Libya, Mali, etc, have also made small arms and ammunition to be readily available to smugglers.
He listed challenges in Seme Border to include improper demarcation of the border and advised that for effective policing of the border, monitors and security cameras should be installed to assist security operative to man the area effectively.
Mu’azu also suggested that government should introduce a standard toll system as seen in other international borders.
It only cost N200 by commercial motor bikes to ferry a traveller either from Nigeria to Benin
Republic side of the border or back.
Customs Service Public Relations Officer (PRO) at Seme Area Command, Deputy Superintendent of Customs (DSC), Ernest Olottah, said no fewer than 19 suspected smugglers have been arrested by officials of the service attached to Seme Border Area Command, Badagry, adding that a total of about 460 seizures comprising of various items suspected to have been smuggled into Nigeria through unapproved routes were recovered from the suspects.
The Command PRO put the duty value of the seized items at about N244, 928, 554 million.
In Sokoto State, over 260 illegal entry routes have been identified that lead into Nigeria.
Sokoto shares an international border with Niger republic to the north and a number of foreigners are said to utilize these illegal routes to enter the country.
During the dry season, such illegal routes increase as those who patronize them allegedly use arid farmlands to cross over their vehicles but in the rainy season, the presence of abundant farms is said to seal the routes and makes it difficult for such people to use them as ingress.
Reacting to the issue of porous borders in Nigeria, the Controller of Nigeria Immigration Service Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar said there are 15 points where they post men of the service to man the borders and confirmed they identified about 263 illegal routes.
He however said officers of the Immigration Command Sokoto State are doing their best to meet up with the challenges.
Also speaking on the issue, Customs Controller in charge of Sokoto/Kebbi /Zamfara, Alhaji Bamidele Akande, said “the use of illegal routes is under checked.
“You know the security situation in the country today and we are up in arms against those who use illegal routes,” he stated and listed the approved border crossings in the northwest to include Dole Kaina, Kamba, Kangiwa, Maje, Yauri, Ilela, Sabon Birni, Gata/Rafin Duma, among others.
The Controller lamented over the cultural affinity of Nigeria and Niger as well as the unprotected nature of the terrain, adding that it is very sandy and there are certain places you may not even be able to venture to depending on the kind of vehicle you are using on patrols.
In Borno State, the porous nature of the border is almost tearing the state apart due to the ongoing war waged by the Boko Haram insurgent against government as well as security establishments including school children and teachers. The terrorist war which has so far caused the deaths of thousands of security and civilian population is gradually receding due to the successes recorded by the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the ongoing state of emergency declared upon the state by the federal government.
Pundits believe that the preponderance of porous borders in Borno and Yobe must be tackled to stem the influx of terrorists in the two states, which are seen as the birth place and breeding ground of the Boko Haram sect.
Borno State shares borders with three West African countries, which are Niger to the North, Chad to the North-East and Cameroun to the East.
Locals in border communities believe that willing emigrants from Niger, Chad and Cameroon can venture into Nigeria through more than 10,000 unmanned routes that have no gate, police and customs or immigrations officers.
It is equally through the same unmanned borders that smugglers, peddlers, traffickers and other sundry offenders troop into Nigeria from Sudan, Central African Republic, Mali and Libya.
“From Cameroon for instance, there are over 300 routes that people can get into Nigeria or out of the country with any kind of truck or load, provided they know the terrain,” said a local fisherman called Kunce Mai Zare in Kuros- Kawwa, a village in Monguno Local Government Area of the state.
He alleged that smugglers of contraband goods and those engaged in arms shipment use various mean of transportation including donkeys, camels and bull-driven carts to ferry their consignment into the country without a trace.
Our correspondent reports that at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency, hundreds of weapons including rocket launchers, anti aircraft missiles, high profile bombs and Ak47 rifles were intercepted by security operatives in Maiduguri and in border villages after such weapons found their way to Nigeria from Libya and Mali.
Out of its 27 local government areas in Borno State, nine are directly connected with foreign countries through common borders.
In southern Borno, it is easier to cross over to Cameroon from some villages in Gwoza Local Government Area to do business than to come to Maiduguri, the state capital.
During military offensive exercises in May along the Sambisa forest, over 20,000 Nigerians crossed over to Cameroon without any hindrance.
They settled in Kirawa, Ashigashiya and Barawa communities, where they mingled freely with the indigenes.
A local in Ashigashiya told journalists that there are over 40 border villages and hamlets directly linked with some settlements in Cameroon.
In central Borno, Bama, Kala Balge and Ngala Local Government Areas have direct links with Cameroon. Also, apart from Banki, Maksamari, Kumshe, Sigal Diba, Mokhole, Djilbe, Wulgo and Gamboru, there are dozens of settlements with hundreds of people who are more connected to Cameroon than Nigeria.
Dozens of villages and small towns exist in the state where it is difficult to identify whether their indigenes are Nigerian, Nigerien or Chadian.
Such communities are Zaga, Fage, Bula Batube, Ngilewa, Kabbal Balram, Ngurno, Baga, Kawwa, Barwati, Bisagana, Arage, Mitile, Mallam Fatori, Kadi, Asagar, Gashagar, Foguwa and Galjiya, among others.
Fatsuma Arjo, a 32-year-old house wife seen at Bosso, said her husband is from Nigeria, while she is from Niger Republic and they both speak native Hausa and Kanuri instead of English or French.
In Oyo State, the Customs Service has also raised alarm over illegal routes accross the borders, which has given smugglers field days to operate in Oke Ogun area
Customs Area Controller for Oyo/Osun States Command, Mr. Richard Oteri, told journalists recently that the joint operations carried out by the Customs, Army and police uncovered 56,750 rounds of live ammunitions stashed into 277 crates disguised as bags of dry cassava, after intercepting and searching a suspicious truck. The security surveillance also uncovered 2,176 bags of smuggled rice and an assortment of consumer and industrial goods.
This discovery came up barely one month after the Customs Area Command destroyed smuggled frozen turkey worth about N11.5 million. The Command recently destroyed another batch worth N98.6 million.
It will be recalled that the discovery of the large quantity of ammunitions while on transit through Oyo State came days after policemen in Ogun State arrested a man who was found in possession of 3,500 rounds of live ammunitions and AK-47.
A community leader in Saki, Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, Chief Lasisi Ayantayo noted that smuggling activities have continued to thrive on some routes in the area, notably Ilesa-Ibariba, Iwere Oke, Ejio as well as Iseyin-Ayetoro road. He called for more security surveillance of these routes to checkmate the atrocities of criminals who use such illegal routes to ferry exotic cars as well as contraband goods into the country.
Oteri, the Customs Area Controller, stated that the suspected smugglers, from whom security operatives discovered 56,750 rounds of live ammunition from, abandoned their truck and fled.
“The vehicle conveying the ammunition was intercepted along Igboho Road, Saki axis in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State and the ammunitions were concealed in bags packed as dried cassava,” he stated.
In Katsina State, our correspondent learnt that efforts by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to implement the federal government’s policy on ban of contraband goods as well as the ongoing repatriation exercise of illegal migrants by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has led to the improvement of security at border posts in the state.
More security personnel comprising customs, immigration, police, civil defence and SSS have been deployed to border posts to check travelling documents, vehicles’
particulars and goods respectively.
Weekly Trust also gathered that daily patrols around border towns and villages, has also improved to curtail the influx of illegal immigrants, who normally cross over to Nigeria from neighbouring Niger Republic through local routes. The recent development has led to the arrest of scores of illegal immigrants as well as large quantity of contra banned goods in the state.
On Thursday, Deputy Comptroller-General of Nigerian Customs
Service, Alhaji Saka Yunusa Alao, during an inspection tour of the state, conducted journalists round some goods seized by the Customs and worth over N500 million.
He lamented over the activities of smugglers in the state and said the service noticed that they have devised new ways to bring in banned goods, especially rice, vegetable oil, spaghetti and drugs.
“The smugglers have resorted to using motorcycles as means of transportation to import banned goods into the state from neighbouring Niger Republic. They have also developed the idea of concealing such goods in animal feeds in order to deceive our men at border posts,” he
lamented.
According to him, the border is long and porous, which makes smugglers devise new tactics to import banned goods but added that the service will continue to doing its best to discourage them.
weekly trust
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