Nigeria made seizures worth N12.5b during border closure – Presidency

By Abisola Adeyemo

The Presidency on Thursday listed the gains Nigeria made during border closure between August 2019 and December 2020.
Mr Femi Adesina, the president spokesman disclosed this in a statement.
He said 1,401 irregular migrants were arrested,159,506 (50kg) bags of parboiled foreign rice and 10,447 bags of NPK fertilizer used for making explosives were impounded.
Other seizures were 1,974 vehicles, 895 motorcycles, and 18,690 jerry cans of vegetable oil.
“The total monetary value of the apprehended items is about ₦12,538,333,545” the presidency stated.
The statement recalled that the border operation SWIFT RESPONSE (OSR), was launched and coordinated by the office of the National Security Adviser.
It has now transformed into Nigeria’s Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) as part of a Tripartite Operation, comprising Benin, Niger, and Nigeria.