NANS urges FG to reopen Ogun land borders

The National Association of Nigerian Students has called on the federal government to reopen the Ogun State land borders which have been closed for several months to curb the activities of smugglers that were on the increase.

The students observed that the closure has exceeded its relevance and that the negative effects were showing in the economy and living conditions of the good people of Ogun State.

“As a matter of fact, the increase in smuggling activities is traceable to the extended border closure as legitimate truck loaders and other border workers now resort to illegal dealings,” the students said.

The students conveyed this, on Wednesday, in Abuja in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Damilola Kehinde, Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Students, Ogun axis; Comrade Gbemileke Ogunronbi, National President, National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS); and Comrade Adebowale Abdul-Gaffar, Deputy National President, National Association of University Students (NAUS).

According to the students, they were part of those that campaigned for the closure of the borders when the transborder crimes were high, especially when the routes were used for smuggling activities.

They stated, however, that the continued closure of the borders was causing more hardships to the people with detrimental effects on the economy and as such needs to be reviewed.

Recall that on Wednesday, August 24, 2021, the students had addressed a Press Conference challenging the Nigeria Customs Service to ebb the tide of smuggling that is threatening to overrun Ogun State.

According to them, “On Friday, September 3rd, 2021, after the publication of our position via the media, the Directorate of State Services (DSS) invited Comptroller P.C KOLO, Controller, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun 1 Area Command, alongside the leadership of NANS Ogun, National Secretariat of National Association of Ogun State Students and the National body of National Association of University Students for a crucial Security interface.

“In the course of the meeting, we expressed our concerns, dissatisfactions, observations and demands.

“Particularly, we demanded effective policing of the illegal routes that serve as the major outlet for gun-running and other contrabands and clamping down on smuggling activities in our borders,” the statement said.

The students have accordingly, appealed to the federal government to provide more patrol vehicles for the command, saying “we found out that the command has less than ten patrol vehicles for their operations.”

They also urged the federal government to liaise with the State Comptroller in order to receive and attend to more fundamental problems of the agency.

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NANS urges FG to reopen Ogun land borders

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