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The Federal Government has announced a total ban on the import and export of all goods at land borders nationwide in the ongoing joint border operation that led to the partial closure of the borders.
Newspeakonline recalls that the operation tagged: “Exercise Swift Response”, involving Customs and Immigration with support from the Nigerian Army and other security agencies, began on August 20, 2019.
Briefing newsmen in Abuja on Monday, the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) said: “The issue of movement of goods is not the same thing with movement of persons.
“Let’s understand that all perishable items are on prohibition whether on export or import. Therefore, nobody can carry tomato to the border to import or export. So it makes it easier for us to close and ensure that all goods for now are banned from being exported or imported through our land borders.
“That is to ensure that we have total control over what comes in and what we do. We are strategizing on how best the goods can be handled when we get to when this operation will relax,” he noted. Ali however, advised local dealers, who want to export or to import items, to use the seaports.
The joint border security is being coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and covers the four geopolitical zones, including South-south, Southwest, North-central and the North-west.