….intercepts ilegal items worth over 135m from smugglers
The Joint Border Operations Drill Sector 3, (JBOD) covering Kwara, Kogi, Niger and Benue states has again seized illegal items worth One Hundred and Thirty Five Million, One Thousand, Four Hundred Naira (NI35,001,400.00) from smugglers across various border areas within the purview of the sector.
The Coordinator of the Joint Border, Comptroller Uba Mohammed disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing about the activities of the sector from January 16th 2020 to date, held at command office, Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.
Mohammed said the land border closure has strengthened security architecture in the country because it gives all sisters security agencies ample opportunity to work in harmony which he said is giving birth to tremendous achievements in terms of enforcement of the government’s policy on border closure.
He pledged that Joint Border Operations is always in Military mood to ensure a total compliance that will translate to effective revenue generation, suppression of smuggling, facilitation of legitimatetrade and protecting the national security.
“It is pertinent to infom you that the sector 5 will continue to dialogue,engage, sensitize and educate the public for the reasons behind border closure which is aimed at social and cconomic stability of our decar nation. On the other hand, enforcement of goverment policies will always be accorded utmost priority with strict adherence to extant laws and guideline” he said.
The Coordinator disclosed that the sector has made a lot of seizures from January 16 till datesuch as 57 units of vehicles of various types; 1,355 bags of foreign rice (S0kg each);Three (3) Long Single Barrel Guns, Knives and 3 Cutlasses at Lokoja axis of Kogi State Handed over to “B” division Police Station Lokoja; wnd Two (2) Long Single Barrel Guns, 8 life cartridges and one locally made Pistol at Kotangora axis of Niger State were handed over to “A” division Police Station Kotangora.
Other seizures According to him included 20 Bags of Dried Yam Flour of 100kg cach used to cover foreign rice; 1,728 Jerry Cans of PMS/Engine oil (25 liters cach); 155 Drums with Petroleum Product and Lubricant oil; 16 Motorcycles popularly called Bajaj used in smuggling rice; 12 Bales of Second hand Clothing and Textile Materials; 68 Jerry Cans of Groundnut Oil of 25 liters each; 322 Catons of Foreign Cosmetics; and 9 Cartons of Foreign Tin Tomatoes;
Comptroller Mohammed disclosed further that 7 Beninoise and 13 Nigerien illegal migrants were repatriated, saying that the command has six suspects who are currently on administrative bail.
He disclosed that the Federal government border closure policy is aimed at creating job opportunities to teaming youths, enhances production of locally made goods and helps in reducing Banditry, Human trafficking and illegal migrants.
He added that one of focal points of his command since assumption of duty is sensitization, engagement of stakeholders of all the border communities of Ilesha-Baruba, Yashkira, Chikanda and Okuta axis of Baruten Local Government area of Kwara State.
Also in Kaiama-Jebba-Mokwa-Wawa-Babanna-kotangora axis of Kwara and Niger States respectively as well as Lokoja-Abuja-Lagos-Express Road of Kogi State and Otukpa, Adikpo-Ugbema axis of Benue State where they met and engaged the Stakeholders and Traditional leaders of the various aforementioned communities.
