… arrests 1,243 illegal immigrants, others
TWELVE months into the commencement of the border closure exercise, the Nigerian Customs Service has put the total monetary value of seizures at N11.03bn.
The Public Relations Officer, NCS, Joseph Attah, gave the figure in a statement issued on Tuesday.
The Federal Government had, in August last year, closed its borders to neighbouring countries in an exercise code-named Operation Exercise Swift Response.
The exercise is currently being coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser, The Point reports.
The Service said, as of August 31, this year, 1,243 irregular immigrants and 622 suspected smugglers had been arrested, while seizures include 134,042 bags of parboiled foreign rice; 9,600 bags of NPK fertilizer; and 1,791 vehicles.
Also confiscated were 3,565,461.9 litres of PMS; 5,007 drums filled with PMS; 68,436.3 Jerricans of PMS; 130 engine boats; 847 motorcycles; 17,212.6 Jerricans of vegetable oil; 813 packs of Tramadol; 274 bags of cannabis; among other items.
Attah put the total estimated monetary value of the seizures at N11.03bn.
He said, “The joint border security exercise has no doubt saved the country huge resources and enhanced national security. For instance, the smuggling of drugs and proliferation of small arms and light weapons, which are drivers to terrorism and other forms of criminalities in the country have been considerably curtailed.
“The exercise has also made it more difficult for terrorists and other criminals to acquire arms and ammunition, while criminal elements find it challenging to make their way into the country through the land and maritime borders. This has thus contributed to the reduction in cases of transnational organised crimes.”
The Customs PRO explained that the exercise had also boosted the production of agricultural products, especially local rice, tomatoes, maize, and poultry among others.
This, he stated, had stimulated the growth of the agricultural sector and the economy.
Attah said the current administration, through the border closure, took a definitive step to put Nigeria on the path of food sufficiency, stem the flow of illicit arms into the country and improve national security.
He added, “Today, Nigeria is fast attaining self-sufficiency in rice production, as the border drill has drastically reduced rice smuggling into the country and catalysed rice production by farmers across the country, while millions of direct and indirect jobs have been created.
“Huge amount in foreign exchange, that previously went into rice importation saved. The rice farmers in the country are now venturing beyond rice cultivation to milling, packaging and marketing.
“Nigeria remains committed to the ongoing diplomatic engagements to finding lasting solutions to the concerns that necessitated the partial border closure.”
He further stated that the priority for now was to keep the borders safe from any inimical activity that would compromise national interests and by extension national security.
