FG worries to Tackle Border Smuggling, implements 2013 MoU with Benin Republic
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The Federal Government is to implement the 2013 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria and the Benin Republic with a view to tackling the alarming rate of smuggling along their borders.
The Honourable Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Abdulrahman Dambazzau, disclosed this today when the Ambassador of the Republic of Benin, Adjovi Paulette, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.
According to him, the high rate of rice smuggling from Benin Republic into Nigeria has deprived local rice growers the opportunity to harness the gains of their investment, particularly in a time when the country was aiming at food security for its populace.
Gen. Dambazzau further said that the country is willing to collaborate with Benin Republic to arrest and prosecute human traffickers as well as proliferators of small arms as these criminal acts hinder development.
He therefore called for combined border security and management to ensure safety at the borders.
Earlier, the Ambassador of Benin Republic, Adjovi Paulette stated that the need for collaboration to handle border challenges can never be over-emphasized.
She therefore stated that the synergy would assist both countries in setting up a mechanism that would stop smuggling and organized cyber crime, adding that on its part, they had begun sensitizing their citizens on the dangers of smuggling. She urged the Nigeria Immigration Service to assist in identifying the names of companies that illegally bring-in rice into Nigeria as it would contribute to curtailing the menace.
Tine-Iulun Maureen
For: Director (Press and Public Relations)
