Tinubu Directs Customs to Allow Transit Trucks to Niger

President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to allow trucks carrying transit goods to the Niger Republic to move through the Benin Republic and Kebbi State.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed the directive on Saturday, February 7, during a visit to Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris in Birnin Kebbi.

According to Adeniyi, the move is intended to ease regional trade while safeguarding Nigeria’s economic and security interests. 

He said the decision is expected to address persistent bottlenecks in cross-border logistics without weakening regulatory controls or border surveillance.

He explained that the president had mandated Customs to resume transit operations, noting that enhanced monitoring systems would be deployed to prevent diversion or abuse.

“President Tinubu has given us the mandate to allow trucks to transit to the Niger Republic through the Benin Republic and Kebbi.”

Adeniyi said the service would rely on modern technology to track consignments and ensure that goods reach their declared destinations.

He warned that operators who flout transit rules would face strict penalties, stressing that violations could create non-tariff barriers and undermine trust between Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

Under the new arrangement, the NCS is targeting a 48-hour clearance window for eligible transit cargo, particularly shipments from Apapa seaports and Nigerian airports destined for landlocked neighbouring states.

Nigeria’s latest directive marks a shift from its earlier hardline position. In 2023, following the July military coup in Niger that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, the Nigerian government halted transit cargo to the country and placed Customs formations on high alert along land borders.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) members, including Nigeria, imposed sanctions and shut borders in a bid to pressure the junta.

However, in February 2024, Nigeria reopened its land and air borders with Niger and lifted sanctions in line with resolutions reached at an ECOWAS summit in Abuja.

Tinubu had announced at the time that the borders would be reopened and sanctions removed with immediate effect, in accordance with the bloc’s decision to ease measures against Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.

Despite the policy reversal, diplomatic and security tensions remain delicate.