Border operations: FG arrests 217 migrants, suspected smugglers

* seizes 77 vehicles, others

Operatives of the ongoing joint border patrol have arrested 100 migrants and 117 suspected smugglers with various smuggled items, three weeks into the intensive operation.

A statement by the Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Joseph Attah, on Tuesday said as at 10 September 2019, the operatives arrested 100 illegal migrants and made several seizures.

The seizures, according to the statement from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), include 8,360 units of 50kg bags of parboiled foreign rice, 122 bags of fertilizer, 77 vehicles, 781 drums filled with petrol, and 16,371 empty 200 litres drums meant for smuggling petrol.

The other seizures are 1,491 packs of assorted drugs, three outboard 40HPeEngines, 13 Cotonou boats, 185 drums of groundnut oil, six trucks, 114 motorcycles, among other items with the 117 suspects.

Daily Trust reports that the intensive joint border patrol by the security agencies is coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) which said it has continued to receive reports of large numbers of seizures and arrests from the four sectors of North West, North Central, South West, and South-South geopolitical zones.

To sustain the rigorous patrol along the national borderlines, the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd), Comptroller General of Immigration, Mohammed Babandade and the Coordinator of the exercise, Brig Gen Emmanuel Aliyu Ndagi have commenced an on-the-spot assessment of the implementation and compliance of the ongoing border security drills.

The exercise, which is being led by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), in collaboration with the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) as well as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security and intelligence agencies is intended to better secure our borders, boost national economy and strengthen border security.

According to Customs statement, “We continue to appeal to the patriotic spirit of all Nigerians, especially members of the business community, to see the exercise as an opportunity to further create a conducive environment for local businesses to thrive in the overall interest of national security and development.”