ILLEGAL CHECKPOINTS: Customs, Police, Immigration, Others Begin Joint Patrol At Seme Border

By DAPO OLAWUNI

Coming on the heels of complaints of multiple checkpoints and extortion along the Seme border corridor, the Nigeria Customs Service has initiated a joint patrol of the axis in collaboration with sister security agencies including Nigerian Police, Immigration and others.

Addressing journalists at the end of a security meeting held at the Seme-Krake Joint Border Post on Tuesday, Customs Area Controller of Seme Command, Compt Timi Bomodi informed that all the agencies have agreed to patrol together to eliminate unwholesome practices.

Following the reduction in the number of Customs checkpoints along the axis, Compt Bomodi said that other agencies are willing to follow suit.

“We just had a joint security meeting this morning and there is an initiative to position our officers of the various security agencies at strategic positions, not just to litter the whole roads, but to deploy them strategically in such a way that their impact would be felt and more effective.

“We have all agreed and to that effect, a joint patrol by all the security agencies would help us, not only in combating smuggling, but to also deter unwholesome activities by persons that are even supposed to be on side of law enforcement.

“If we are all together as one body, nobody can come using certain influence to carryout these nefarious activities.

:So, we are working together and we are resolute in our commitment to ensure that this corridor is sanitised, I can see the will and the commitment in all the security agencies at the meeting.

“We would like to see this route sanitised and emulate our neighbours who have their transit routes sanitised, anywhere we see something working perfectly, we should not feel shy to copy it

“This would ensure that legitimate traders using this axis would feel elated to continue to use this axis, for them to see that we are working for their good.

“We want to thank the Comptroller General of Customs and the management for the level of support we enjoyed, we just received three special purpose vehicles that would serve the Command.

“We are also expected to have other infrastructures here that would booster our operations here at the Joint Border Post.

“The Command would continue to be a focal point of trade activities, especially the AfCFTA” Bomodi stated