The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mohammad Babandede, has said only the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), can decide when the borders will be reopened.
He said the NIS had no power to reopen the borders closed in August 2019.
Babandede spoke during the NIS project validation meeting with senior officers in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to him, the borders are not fully closed as they are opened from 6am to 6pm.
The NIS chief said, “The borders are partially closed and this is in line with the ECOWAS rules where you must have travel documents. You must enter through the legal routes and with documents.”
He insisted the borders were closed to protect the country, adding that the measure was not targeted at some neighboring countries.
According to him, the visa-on-arrival policy is not at variance with border closure.
On his part, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali, told journalists, “All goods, for now, are banned from being exported or imported through our land borders to ensure that we have total control over what comes in.”
Punch Newspaper
