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By Steve Agbota
Stakeholders at Seme-Krake border and its environs have promised to partner with security agencies in the area to tackle the menace of arms smuggling across the border.
The stakeholders gave the assurances when the acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, paid a maiden visit to the busiest frontier border in the West African sub-region.
In turn, the Customs assured them of the possibility of reopening the border if they could cooperate with the security agencies to tackle the menace of smuggling of arms, ammunition, and other illegal activities going on in the area. With the assurance of their cooperation, he said the government would now think of reopening the Seme border for vehicles importation and other products banned from coming in through the border.
During his meetings with traditional rulers, clearing agents, security agencies, and Customs officers, Adeniyi said: “I am assuring you that my regime will tackle the challenges presented to me, which include numerous checkpoints along Seme Road and relate other challenges to the Federal Government for solutions.
“The Service is working together with other government agencies bearing in mind their peculiarities to rationalise the multiple checkpoints inhibiting free trade and movement of legitimate goods at the border posts.
The Service has taken the first shot in this particular direction by announcing last week that the CGC Strike Force team has been disbanded.”
The Customs CG noted that there were numerous trade and economic benefits for Nigeria within the ECOWAS socio-economic bloc, adding that NCS in collaboration with foreign counterparts would work on improving and developing better bilateral trade relations driven by technology.
He added that the Service seeks to achieve these through the implementation of ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
While appreciating the traditional rulers and residents of the border communities for their warm reception, Adeniyi, however, sought the support of all government agencies by desisting from illegal and illegitimate business as well as providing credible information and intelligence on illegal activities in and around the border post to appropriate government security agencies.
