Seme Customs to seal illegal routes
.Reverts all movements to joint border post
.We must protect our economy-Says Comptroller Uba
By Silas Onuoha
Comptroller Uba as the co-chairman at the Joint meeting:
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, has concluded plans to seal at areas considered as illegal routes within the border between Nigeria and Republic of Benin.
Daily Business Update gathered that the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Seme Command, Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba, has also given a standing order, directing that all movements within the border region be reverted back to the Joint Border Post.
This, the CAC said, becomes necessary to curb illegal activities of economic saboteurs, who often take advantage of a busy border arena to bring in prohibited items into the country through illegal routes.
Inspection of the border area after the joint meeting:
Our correspondent also learnt that the latest development was the outcome of the first Joint Management meeting since inauguration of the Joint Border Post (JBP), where Comptroller Uba was the co-chairman.
Uba stated categorically that illegal routes must be fully sealed by January 14, 2019, in order to curtail illicit trade at Seme, which is the busiest border within the sub-region.
Thus, the first Joint Management meeting took place at the Conference Hall of Joint Border Post, yesterday, January 11, 2019, and new strategies for effective running of the facility were also deliberated on.
According to Comptroller Uba, sealing illegal routes at a busy border like Seme is a step in the right direction to protect the economy from influx of contraband.
He said, “We must protect our economy at all times”.
