President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday, February 29th, 2020 ordered a severe punishment of security agents found to be undermining the current border drills designed to check smuggling at Nigeria’s borders.

The order came as a result of what the President called a “disheartening” news that two hundred and ninety five (295) smuggled petroleum tankers were released, without proper permission on December 17th, 2019 by some security officials in-charged of protecting the borders.

Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, in a statement on February 29th, said that as a consequence, the president directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), to set up a board of inquiry to investigate the wrongdoing.

Adesina said the board had recommended to the president that any official, whether civilian or security operative, found guilty of conniving to undermine government’s efforts should be withdrawn from the border drills and severely punished by their respective organizations.

He said that President Buhari had welcomed the recommendations and ordered that all those found culpable to be immediately withdrawn and replaced.

The Presidential spokesman added that the president also instructed that immediate appropriate disciplinary actions against them should be applied by their respective organizations.

President Buhari had commissioned the border drill code-named “Operation Swift Response” as a part of government’s efforts to improve local production of goods at competitive prices and ensure food security.

The statement said the president, notwithstanding the setbacks, praised the efforts of security agencies as the drills have resulted to intercepting and seizing large quantities of petroleum products, food and materials illegally smuggled across the borders.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.