The National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, yesterday said dangerous weapons were being smuggled into Nigeria through the land borders.
Speaking in Lagos at the commissioning of two new gun boats acquired by the Nigeria Customs Service at the Naval Dockyard, he said so many Nigerians had died as a result of the dangerous drugs and arms being smuggled.
He said the Federal Government would not bow to any blackmail or pressure from any groups or persons over the effects of land borders’closure on their businesses.
According to him, some neighbouring countries back the Federal Government on how to ensure Nigerian borders are safe.
Monguno said the Operation Swift Response currently at the borders had been very successful, assuring that the government was determined to support all security agencies to enable them deal ruthlessly with all those involved in smuggling.
He said: “From where I operate, I see a lot of things concerning insecurity. However, many tend to see the physical ones which include insurgency, kidnapping, armed robbery and a whole lot of others. But there are some that are invisible to the eyes. Smuggling is one major source of insecurity,” he said.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Alli, said: “Experiences have shown that whenever smugglers face resistance by Nigeria Customs Service operatives on land, they turn to the waterways to carry out their nefarious activities. Unfortunately, the Service has been lame on the waters due to lack of sea going vessels to effectively checkmark smugglers on the high sea. This situation led to the death of nine customs officers while confronting deadly smugglers on the sea in 2014.”
