The Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun 1 Area Command has cleared the air on the claim that the Idiroko land border has been reopened for business.
The Controller of the state Command, Bamidele Makinde set the record straight while reacting to viral video showing Customs officers opening the border.
Makinde,while addressing journalists at a media briefing in Abeokuta, the state capital, reminded newsmen that Idiroko border alongside three others had been reopened in 2022 by the past administration of former President Mohammed Buhari.
"Since then it had remained opened for legitimate trade and anyone who does business in the unapproved route would be intercepted.
" The viral video on the social media happened April last year when border was opened then. It was four borders that were opened. But as We speak presently in Ogun State, we have more than six approved borders in Imeko, Ijofin, Ijoun, and Ohunbe. It is only Idiroko that is opened now, the others are still on lock.
He said further " We are just public servants, we implement policies, whatever Abuja says we do, so, Idiroko is open 24/7, but we have not heard the notion to open the other borders".
Declaring the record of seizures of the Command between April and May, Makinde listed 6,929 bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice of 50kg equalled to 11 trailers loads, gallons of Premium Motor Spirit, used tyres, Cannabis Sativa; and other banned items.
The Controller also declared that the sum of #34,174,105, was generated by the command for the period under review compared to #10,615,618,00 generated in the corresponding period of last year, 2022.
" There is a differential of #23,558,487,00 which is a significant increase of about 69 percent" He concluded.
0 Comments