A joint border patrol team consisting of security operatives from Nigeria, Benin and Niger Republic set up to monitor compliance with conditions given by the Federal Government to curb smuggling has commenced operations in Seme (Benin) and the borders with Niger Republic.
The team, which began operations about three weeks ago, had personnel drawn from the police, customs and immigration service of the three countries that made up the Tripartite Anti-smuggling Ministerial Committee.
It was set up following the closure of the land borders in August last year by the Nigerian government.
The patrol team is expected to recommend to the Federal Government a date for the re-opening of the borders when it is satisfied that the issues that led to the closure had been substantially addressed by the governments of Benin and Niger Republic.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who confirmed the development to our correspondent in Abuja, noted that the taskforce commenced operations two weeks after its meeting in Abuja in November, 2019.
“The joint border patrol team has been set up; it commenced operation two weeks after the committee meeting in Abuja,” he said in a text message.
The tenure of the joint patrol team or the date for the re-opening of the borders could not be ascertained as Onyeama referred further inquiries to the Nigeria Customs Service.
The minister had led a Federal Government team to a meeting with delegations from the Republic of Benin and Niger Republic at the ECOWAS Commission secretariat in Abuja, where modalities for the re-opening of the Nigerian land borders were discussed.
Other ministers at the parley included Mrs Zainab Ahmed (Finance, Budget, and National Planning); Rauf Aregbesola (Interior); Lai Mohammed (Information); Zubairu Dauda (State, MFA); and Hajia Mariam Katagum (Minister of State, Trade and Industry).
On the Beninoise delegation were the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aurelien Agbenonci; Mr Romuald Wadagni (Economy and Finance); and Mrs Shadiya Assouma (Industry and Commerce), while the Nigerien team had the Ministers of Interior, Mr Mohamed Bazoum; Mr Sadou Seydou (Trade and Private Sector); Lamido Goga (African Integration and Nigerien abroad); and Mr Ahmat Jidoud (Budget).
The meeting, which was also attended by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade, Customs and Free Movement, Mr Tel Konzi, agreed to establish the joint border patrol team.
It also agreed on the establishment of a Monitoring and Evaluation Committee of the three countries, comprising the ministers of Finance, Trade, Foreign Affairs, Customs, Immigration, and National Security Adviser.
The mandate of the committee was to ensure actions that would facilitate and enhance the suppression of smuggled goods and other related matters. – Punch.
