NewStats: 3,261,593 , 8,174,449 topics. Date: Thursday, 29 May 2025 at 05:55 PM 254m16

President Muhammadu Buhari has attributed the partial closure of Nigeria’s border with Benin Republic to the massive smuggling activities, especially of rice, taking place on that corridor.

He said the limited closure of the country’s western border was to allow Nigeria’s security forces develop a strategy on how to stem the dangerous trend and its wider ramifications.

The exercise, code-named ‘Ex-Swift Response’ was being tly conducted by the customs, immigration, police and military personnel and coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

The Nigerian leader gave the reason during an audience granted his Beninois counterpart, Patrice Talon, on the margins of the Seventh Tokyo International Conference for African Development (TICAD7), in Yokohama, Japan, yesterday.

Mr Femi Adesina, the president’s spokesman in a statement in Abuja said President Buhari expressed great concern over the smuggling of rice.

The president said the activities of the smugglers threatened the self-sufficiency already attained due to his istration’s agricultural policies.

“Now that our people in the rural areas are going back to their farms, and the country has saved huge sums of money which would otherwise have been expended on importing rice using our scarce foreign reserves.

“We cannot allow smuggling of the product at such alarming proportions to continue,” he said.

The president said the limited closure of the country’s western border was to allow Nigeria’s security forces develop a strategy on how to stem the dangerous trend and its wider ramifications.

Responding to the concerns raised by President Talon on the magnitude of suffering caused by the closure, President Buhari said he had taken note and would reconsider reopening in the not too distant future.

He, however, disclosed that a meeting with his counterparts from Benin and Niger Republics would soon be called to determine strict and comprehensive measures to curtail the level of smuggling across their borders.

Earlier, President Talon had said he called on the Nigerian President as a result of the severe impact the closure of the Nigerian border was having on his people.

https://www.sunnewsonline.com/nigeria-benin-border-closed-due-to-smuggling-activities-says-president-buhari/

Mr Femi Adesina, the president’s spokesman in a statement in Abuja said President Buhari expressed great concern over the smuggling of rice.

The president said the activities of the smugglers threatened the self-sufficiency already attained due to his istration’s agricultural policies.

But open to dangote

Causing economic blockade in the Southern Borders while the Northern fringes are just leeways for bandits BH terrorists and other neighbouring killer fulanis to freely enter.

Bubu just dey shut down everything

Did your bandit cum terrorist allow them to farm rice.
Stupid

Niger and Chad boarder to be open due to bringing of guns for jihad



Getting gun is like getting bread there

We dont want Lai Muhamed to tell us lai about this one,
you close the border to stop us from eating Rice which you open office for your criminals on uniform to play with.

I pray we correct our error come 2023

Nice one our lively president, may God continue to bless you sir

Yes. Not just that it has reduced the smuggling activities drastically, it has also help boost local production of both agro products and others. This is one of the best policies. It is a drive towards self sufficiency.

it's only smuggling because you banned foods we can't sufficiently produce.

This man hatred for South us so glaring, looking for every means to wreck the economy of Southern states. Is he telling us there is no smuggling in the North where the borders are thrown open to his fulani brothers. Smh

Just die already

You closed a border cause of smuggling activities?

Then what's the job of the customs whose budget runs into billions of Naira per annum?

Is it that the president doesn't take advice or his advisers are also clueless?

And why is the border at the northern part of the country opened? No smuggling activities going on there?

Talking about the smuggling


How would you describe the level of smuggling from the northern border that has been flung open from time immemorial?

It seems the smuggling there is a holy one that shouldn't be addressed.

Buhari is high on weed, how many people have gone back to the farm when his fellow Fulani people wouldn't let such happen, the northern border is the route where is the whole foreign rice find their way into the country, who are you deceiving?

See this senile old lying man, is it the same rural farms that his fulani brothers are ravaging with their cattle and killing and raping women and also the farm owners?
He should keep locking the Benin border but leave the one close to his hometown Niger porously open. No wahala, Benin Republic will retaliate thats for sure.

Abujason:


https://www.sunnewsonline.com/nigeria-benin-border-closed-due-to-smuggling-activities-says-president-buhari/

wicked people

Every crime is committed in the South and South West borders but North is crime free.
The light weapons and ammunitions, bandits etc. smuggled into the country from Niger republic and the likes are not enough reasons to fully close the Northern borders ba? you people should continue, it's the Southern elites we blame.

....

Jesu
No doubt this thin mallam is officially a wicked man. He wants to finish the people he is ruling.
Hunger go soon finish the south because many are scared to go do farming, either cow eat ur crops or u get killed or ur wife get raped by fulani. Meanwhile Niger/Chat border is very open. Watch prizes of food increase more

I am sure the next southern president will open the border as the first thing he will do.

Regardless of apc or PDP.

The South Even in its worst is smarter than buhari.

If osibanjo ever succeeds buhari, he will open the border immediately as a big fuccckk you to buhari.

This people are very wicked and heartless. That Benin republic president is a good man and I will advise him not to release igboho to Nigeria government o because this might be the main reason they went for that meeting.

Lovenorth:
Nice one our lively president, may God continue to bless you sir

If you don't stfu

And Niger border is open for fulani bandits for electoral practices and jihadist activities??

Lovenorth:
Nice one our lively president, may God continue to bless you sir

while God bless him by making him die, God would curse you by making you miserable in life.

Abujason:


https://www.sunnewsonline.com/nigeria-benin-border-closed-due-to-smuggling-activities-says-president-buhari/

AGAIN but borders in the North do not even exist and we are ok

Years after closing the boarder, this clueless government is still trying to find a way to curb "smuggling." So, there are no smuggling going on in the northern boarders that have been reopened?

Closing the boarder has proving not to be a solution to smuggling since this strategy has been deployed for decade's and still didn't stop smuggling.

Lack of idea's by the FGN on how to stop smuggling remains the biggest issue and it is an enconomic sabotage against Nigeria by the FGN government since securing the boarders of the country is one of the major constitutional responsibility of the FGN to which it has failed miserably and still have no clue on how to fix it.

Ok

My sufferisticated brothers, How market?


We warned you all that Buhari is a disaster, you branded us wailers.

He shut down southern borders while northern borders are wide open because of Rice.

What quantity of rice are they producing?

Have the local production reduced the price of rice? No.


Today, everybody is feeling the heat of an avoidable disaster.




cc HELINUES

The worst regime Nigeria has ever had.

Worst president×worst senate president×worst speaker house of rep= ineffective bufffffonss.