The restriction at Seme followed the joint border security exercise ordered by the government and aimed at securing Nigeria’s land and maritime borders.
Travellers and vehicles were stranded for hours at Nigeria's border with Benin Republic following sudden restrictions of movement on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the restriction at Seme followed the joint border security exercise ordered by the government and aimed at securing Nigeria’s land and maritime borders.
The exercise, code-named, ‘Ex-Swift Response’, was being jointly conducted by the customs, immigration, police and military personnel and coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
It was gathered that incoming travellers and vehicles were thoroughly searched by the additional security officials drafted to the border, causing long delays.
Many commercial vehicles conveying passengers into the country were ordered to park at the new border post for several hours, while hundreds of Nigeria-bound trucks were parked across the border.
Customs spokesperson, Joseph Attah, had, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja said that the joint border security exercise would be conducted in 25 states across the South-South, South-West, North-Central and North-West zones and urged the public to cooperate with the officials.