By Stephen ubanna
When Dalandi Yakubu, Speaker, Kwara state House of Assembly , accompanied by Mohammed Salihu Chairman, House Committee, on Education and Human Capital , visited Muhammed Uba Garba, a former Comptroller of Seme Command and now Zonal Coordinator of Border Drills sector 3, based in Ilorin the Kwara state Capital it gave him and his Team members source of hope to excel in their anti-smuggling drive with Compromise.
Muhammed and the other Border Drills Officials drawn from the Army, Police, Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, and the Department of State Service, DSS, may not have been carried away by the visit of the Lawmaker who was said to be from Baruten local government. The Border Drill Zonal Coordinator was waiting for an opportunity to take his senior Team members to pay a visit on Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, the All Progressive Congress, APC , governor of the state.
The opportunity came after the completion of the Team tour of the border Communities in Kwara, Niger, Kogi and Benue, on Wednesday, March 5, 2020. The Border Drill Zonal Coordinator who was accompanied on the visit by the senior Army, NIS, Police and DSS, personnel, in the Team , was said to have told the governor why the government closed the Borders with the neighbouring countries of Benin Republic , Niger and the Central African country of Cameroon.
He cited the myriad of problems which may have necessitated closure of the Borders across the country such as illegal migration of citizen of other nationals into the country without any valid business, smuggling of light arms and ammunitions across the borders and other trans-border crimes. According to him, there are enormous challenges facing the country due the refusal of the neighbouring countries, particular, Benin, to implement the trade agreement with Nigeria. He was said to have informed the governor of their visit to Alapa, Ilesha Baruba, Yashkira, Chikanda and Okuta Border Communities in Baruten Council. And their findings. He may have told the governor that this is what may have informed the government decision to protect the country’s Borders to secure the country’s trade against the negative effect of the agreement.
He was said to have solicited for the support and Cooperation of the state government to sensitise the people of the Border Communities on the dangers of smuggling and its negative effect on the economy. Prior to the Border Drill official visit to the governor, the office was said to had been inundated with complaints from the people of the Border Communities in the Baruten Local government about the activities of Muhammed’s men in their anti-smuggling drive which was alleged to be affecting legitimate business.
They may not have been happy that they could no longer continue their illegitimate business of exporting Tankers load of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS,, popular, petrol , without records of transaction to Benin Republic.The worry of many is that Baruten Population C Council , going by the Nigerian Population Commission , NPC, figure is 125,000 but the Border Communities are littered with filling stations.
Investigation by The Value News online finding shows that there are over 200 filling stations, in five Border Communities, fueling speculations making the rounds that the filling stations were established for bunkering and smuggling purposes only . Muhammed may have played into the hand of the sponsors of the Petroleum Product smugglers , who were said to be mostly politicians for daring them to implement the Presidential directive that petrol stations within 20Km radius to the Border Communities should be closed down. It is not surprising why Yaskira and other Border Communities in Baruten Council are littered with nonfunctioning filling stations. .
Recall that President Muhammad Bhari had alluded to the illegal release of 295 petroleum products Tankers on December 17, 2019, b the y security agencies personnel charged with the responsibility of managing the nation’s Borders. Much of the Tankers load of Petrol Border Communities l may have been released from the Border Communities in Baruten Local government as some members of the Border Drills sector 3, who were said to have participated in the deal are said to be facing various form of disciplinary action in their respective agencies.
Only recently, the Border Drill sector 3, under the close watch of Muhammed , was said to have intercepted 135 drums of Petroleum Product in Chikanda Border Community in Baruten Council. Petroleum Product Smugglers may have resorted to use Chikanda Community to carry out their nefarious activities because of the difficult terrain.
Prior to the inauguration of the Border Drill last August, about 10 million litres Petroleum Products are exported out of Nigeria at night to Benin, Niger and Cameroon. That appears to have stopped because of the toght security at the Border Communities across the country, particular, Kwara state.
Given the pain which the rigid implementation of the Presidential directive to close all the filling stations within 20Km radius along the Border routes,dulrazaq, the Kwara state governor was said to have drawn the attention of the Border Drills Zonal Coordinator to it, stressing that there are challenges of supply Petroleum Products to the Border Communities in the state.
The governor, who was said to have told Muhammed and his Team, that there are many Border Communities in the state which could no longer get regular supplies in filling stations in the Communities.
Aware of the government policy in selling Petroleum Products in filling stations within 20 Km radius to the Border Communities and the suffering of the people may have informed why the governor has promised to work with the Muhammed led Border Drill sector 3, to get petroleum products to the Border Communities filling stations and stagnate those that have been identified as engaging in dirty deals.
He was said to have assured the Team that his government would do everything within its powers to support them to do their work. Appealing to the government to ensure hat the welfare of the Border Drill personnel are adequately taken care of, the governor insisted that it is the only way to get the best from the security personnel. He would also want the government to provide the Team with proper equipment to do be able to confront the smugglers headlong who use sophisticated weapons.