Soyinka visits Igboho in Cotonou

Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka arrived in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on Sunday to meet the Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo (popularly known as Sunday Igboho). Mr Soyinka, a professor of Comparative Literature, crossed the Seme border around noon into Cotonou. A crowd mobbed him while he was waiting to complete immigration formalities, repeatedly asking about his destination. Mr Soyinka…

Customs to deploy drones at Seme border

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it will soon deploy drones at Seme for effective patrol in checking smuggling activities in the border area. Seme border NCS Zone A Coordinator, Modupe Aremu, an Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) of Customs, disclosed this on Monday during a working visit to Seme Border Area Command. According to her, border management surveillance will be done…

Ex-envoys hail borders’ reopening, say decision to ease Nigeria-Ghana rift

The Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN) has lauded the Federal Government for reopening four of the country’s land borders, saying the action attests to the current administration’s priority for the welfare and security of the citizens. Its president, Amb. Ganiyu Lawal, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday. He…

Border Reopening: Joint Border Patrol Teams still in operation at Seme

The Joint Border Patrol Teams (JBPT) put in place to enforce movement restrictions during the 16-month border closure are still in operation in Seme, seven days after the reopening of the border. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government had set up the JBPT, comprising police, military, immigration, customs and civil defence, to enforce movement restrictions and curb…

Seme border remains closed, 24 hours after Buhari’s order

Nigeria’s land border with Benin Republic at Seme, near Badagry, Lagos State, remained closed, more than a day after the Federal Government announced its reopening on Wednesday. Recall that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, on Wednesday announced the immediate reopening of four land borders after the Federal Executive Council meeting held virtually in…

Another batch of 53 Nigerians arrive Seme border

Another batch of 53 Nigerian returnees on Saturday arrived at the Seme Border Post in Lagos State from Ghana and the Benin Republic.

As stated by NAN, 39 out of the 53 returnees who came from Ghana were brought in two luxurious buses with registration numbers, Lagos KTU 833XY and LSD 614 YR.

An official of the Port Health Services (PHS) in Seme, who argued anonymity, confirmed to NAN that the…

Border Closure: Benin, Niger Haven’t Met Our Conditions – FG 

The federal government has insisted the republics of Benin and Niger have not met the conditions set for the re-opening of the country’s border.

Minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed stated this during an assessment visit to Seme border.

He explained that from the magnitude seizures made, and the number of illegal immigrants apprehended in the last two weeks, it was obvious that…