Nigeria policing 5, 000km borderline – Minister

Aregbesola

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola says Nigeria is doing its best to secure its over 5,000 kilometre borderline.

The minister said when he appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja that efforts were being made to secure the country from cross-border criminals.

He said government has no intention of preventing kinsmen across the borders from interacting and building relationships beneficial to them and their countries.

Aregbesola however said Nigeria would not allow such relationship undermine national security.

The minister said all security and intelligence agencies were involved in the task of policing the borderline and securing the country.

“The Federal Government is not relaxing, it’s highly dedicated and committed in ensuring that border threats are managed and controlled effectively,” he added.

He explained that in terms of space, Nigeria was one of the top five African nations with the longest borderlines.

“To really drive that home, Nigeria has about 5,000 kilometres of boarderline, what that tells you is that, it is not possible for you to have enough men that will man every inch or centimetre or milimetre of that boarder line.

“But we have established border positions that are manned, spread across the entire lenght of the boundaries of Nigeria.

“But beyond that, which is about sovereignty, is the fact that the artificiality of our boundaries cannot just be thrown aside.

“This means that except where it is impossible for human beings to exist, there is no borderline where there is human existence that does not separate human beings, communities who are homogenous.

“None is in the South, West, Central, North-West, Northeast, North-Central.

“Every line of our boundary separates communities, homogenous communities, people of the same tongue same eyes, same customs.

“So, how are you going to now ensure that the Nigerian, the Yoruba man on Nigeria side who is cut by artificial line from his kith and kin in Benin Republic will not interact?

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The minister said the government would soon install electronic border surveillance system to tackle cross-border criminalities.