Border closure: Nigeria, Benin and Niger join forces to fight smuggling

Nigeria and neighbouring countries, Benin and Niger on Thursday agreed to set up a monitoring and patrol team to tackle smuggling after months of border closure and dispute between the West African countries.

The patrol team comprising naval, customs, immigration and security officials are to enhance the suppression of smuggled goods.

The agreement comes after Nigeria had recently launched a partial border closure in August to tackle smuggling of rice and other goods.

Nigeria closed its borders to its neighbouring countries including Ghana to trade until at least January 31, 2020.

The decision to close its borders has caused a lot of anxiety in the Ghanaian populace as the Ghana Union of Trade Association (GUTA) on a number of occasions were forced to lock shops belonging to Nigeria counterparts and other foreign nationals in the country.

Following the tension created as result of the closure, the West African countries appealed for the immediate re-opening of Nigeria’s borders.

The three countries in a meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja with representatives of the joint anti-smuggling committee, including the foreign ministers of the three countries and the Trade Commissioner of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have also agreed to establish “monitoring and evaluation committee teams ” to ward off smugglers.

The patrol team from the three countries would meet later in the month “to recommend a date for the opening of the borders.

The force will hold its first meeting in Abuja on November, 25 and 26th and will later advise on the re-opening of the borders.

Since taking office in 2015, Nigerian President, Mahammadu Buhari has introduced policies aimed at curbing imports and smuggling to neighbouring countries, according to the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria.

In July, Nigeria signed up to the African Continental Free Trade Area, a project to create a $3.4 trillion economic bloc, despite its fears that it could be flooded with cheap goods from competitive neighbors.