Border Closure Has Helped To Checkmate Inflow Of Firearms, Says DG DSS

The Director-General of the Department for State Services (DSS), Mr. Magaji Bichi has said that the closure of Nigeria’s borders has helped to reduce the inflow of smuggled firearm and enabled security agencies to keep track of the movement of people who pose a threat to the security of the country.

Mr. Bichi said this at the graduation ceremony of the Executive Intelligence Management Course of the National Institute for Security Studies in Abuja.

He appealed to the Federal Government to sustain the closure until normalcy is returned.

“The recent closure of our borders attest to what we intend to achieve despite the criticism, the closure of our borders so far, have succeeded in checkmating not only smuggling of goods that are illegally brought into the country, even firearms and then checkmating the movement of people that are likely to undermine the security of this country.”

The DSS boss urged the graduating participants to use their knowledge in their respective duty posts to help the government handle the nation’s security challenges effectively.

Nigeria’s four major borders in the North-West, North-Central, South- West, and South-South geopolitical zones were closed on August 21 in a bid to free the country from criminal activities including smuggling and enhance the economy, a move that has generated mixed reactions.

According to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Retired Major General Babagana Monguno, the border closure will remain until the objectives behind the closure are achieved.

The operation has recorded success with over 100 illegal migrants and 117 suspected smugglers arrested. Also, 8360 bags of 50kg foreign rice have been impounded with other banned items seized.

Also, the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, revealed that the demand for local rice rose drastically and about 500,000 bags of local rice have been sold by millers within one week of the border closure.

A move the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Colonel Hameed Ali (rtd) said is part of the N1.4 billion saved and is yielding the desired results as the nation’s consumption of petroleum products has dropped by 10.2 million litres.