At least 2,000 trucks that were earlier stranded at Nigeria’s borders with the republics of Benin and Niger have begun moving following the reopening of the Kamba and Tsamiya border posts in Kebbi.
The reopening was in line with the directive by President Bola Tinubu.
The Kebbi area comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mahmoud Matawalle-Ibrahim, officially opened the borders to trucks from Benin and Niger on Monday in Kamba, Dandi LGA.
He said, “The reopening of the borders in Dandi and Bagudo local government areas is aimed at facilitating the transit of legitimate goods and reviving cross-border trade with the republics of Benin and Niger, after months of closure occasioned by security concerns.
“The exercise was carried out with presidential approval to enable the smooth movement of legitimate goods from the Tsamiya border to the Niger Republic through the Kamba corridor in Kebbi.”
Mr Matawalle-Ibrahim averred that many of the stranded trucks from Benin had already been cleared at Tsamiya and were moving towards the Niger Republic’s Tunga Jado border through Kamba.
He added that the development would boost trading activities between Nigeria and its neighbours, while also strengthening joint security efforts along the border communities.
An official of the Niger Republic, Maigiro Yahaya-Tubil, said the decision by Nigeria would help stimulate the economies of the neighbouring countries.
“We are happy that our trucks, which were trapped for months, can now move freely through Nigeria to their destinations,” he said.
The district head of Kamba, Muhammed Sarkin-Shikon-Kamba, described the reopening as a major relief to border communities.
“This decision will bring economic benefits to our people and restore livelihoods that were affected by the closure. We sincerely appreciate the federal government,” he said.
(NAN)