Headlines
‘Sudden Closure of Seme Border May Last Several Days’
A major border crossing between Nigeria and Benin Republic remained closed on Wednesday without formal notice, leaving thousands of people and vehicles stranded on both sides.
The Seme Border, the busiest land crossing in Nigeria, was shut on Tuesday after some truckloads of prohibited tramadol and codeine were intercepted in Lagos on August 16.
The closure continued on Wednesday morning, with Nigerians streaming towards their country’s border from Benin Republic hoping they would be allowed into their country.
Benin Republic traders who had entered Nigeria to supply goods in Lagos were also stranded and prevented from returning to their country.
Victims of the abrupt shutdown of West Africa’s main commerce corridor were seen fuming about their ordeal on social media Wednesday.
The Nigerian government closed the border “without any information and we have thousands of Nigerians stranded in Benin Republic trying to come into Nigeria,” Alfred Eseoghene, a used car salesman who was amongst those stranded, told PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday afternoon. “The military is not allowing anybody to come in or go out through the land border.”
“I came in through the bush partly because I have been working in Seme for years,” Mr Eseoghene added.
Another Nigerian traveller caught in the disruption posted a video of the hardship on Twitter Wednesday afternoon.
“Nigeria immigrations are treating their fellow Nigeria’s (sic) like animals are the Seme border. I have been here since 6pm yesterday. I pity this country,” another Twitter user, Oyelesi Mayowa, said in an update at 3:01 a.m. Wednesday.
The travellers said officials at the border have declined to explain the cause of the closure, which PREMIUM TIMES learnt was still in effect as of 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Sunday James, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), did not immediately return requests for comments. But the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said an ongoing joint security exercise caused the disruption.
“A joint security exercise is ongoing to better secure the border,” Customs spokesperson, Joseph Attah, told PREMIUM TIMES. “It will take several days and we have been working to ensure that it does not result in too much disruption for travellers.”
The official was unable to clarify why there was no formal announcement about the planned security exercise that was capable of causing such interruption to persons and businesses across the sub-region.
Peemium Times
The Presidency has dismissed claims that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent comments were directed at the political situation in Rivers State or President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s constitutional decisions on the matter.
In a statement on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, the Presidency described the reports as a “gross misrepresentation.”
The statement clarified that Vice President Shettima’s remarks at the public presentation of a book by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), were misconstrued by some online platforms and individuals.
“These reports have distorted the Vice President’s comments in pursuit of a mischievous agenda,” it stated.
“They twisted his account of how the administration of former President Jonathan considered removing him as Borno Governor during the insurgency to falsely link it with current events in Rivers State.”
The Vice President, who spoke at the launch of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block in Abuja on Thursday, was said to have referenced the past solely to commend Adoke’s professionalism while in office, and to reflect on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution regarding federal and state relations.
“For the avoidance of doubt, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional measure implemented was a suspension, not an outright removal.
“This action was taken in response to the grave political crisis in Rivers State at the time, with the governor facing a looming impeachment and the State Assembly complex under demolition,” Nkwocha clarified.
The Presidency insisted that the action taken by President Tinubu in declaring a state of emergency and suspending the Governor was fully in line with Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which authorises such measures when there is a breakdown of public order requiring extraordinary intervention.
According to the statement, the President’s proclamation invoking Section 305(2) was subsequently ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly, confirming the legitimacy and constitutional propriety of the decision.
“The action of President Tinubu in suspending Mr. Fubara and others from exercising the functions of office averted the governor’s outright removal. To conflate suspension with removal is misleading,” the statement further noted.
Nkwocha also stressed that Vice President Shettima’s comments were delivered extemporaneously and intended to underline the importance of public accountability and historical documentation.
He referenced the Vice President’s mention of past public servants, including Adoke and former Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to illustrate principled leadership.
“His remarks were not in any way a criticism of President Tinubu’s actions, which the Vice President and the entire administration fully support and stand by without reservation,” the spokesman stated.
The Vice President, the statement added, remains in “loyal concert” with President Tinubu and is committed to implementing all constitutional measures necessary to safeguard democracy and uphold order across the country.
Concluding, the Presidency called on media organisations and political actors to desist from misrepresenting public remarks for sensational or partisan purposes.
“We urge media organisations and political actors to desist from the destructive practice of wrenching statements from context in order to fabricate nonexistent conflicts,” Nkwocha said.
Headlines
Akpabio Relieves Natasha of Committee Chairmanship Position, Appoints Akwa Ibom Senator As Replacement
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has replaced suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora/Non-Governmental Organisations.
In her place, Akpabio named Senator Bassey Aniekun Etim (Akwa Ibom -East).
The Senate President, who made the announcement on the floor in Abuja on Thursday, did not give any reasons.
The committee position had remained vacant since March when the Senate suspended the Kogi-Central Senatorial District lawmaker for six months for flouting the Senate’s rule on the seating arrangement and seat allocation.
The suspended lawmaker, at a point, chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content before Akpabio reassigned her to the Committee on Diaspora/NGO, shortly before she ran into trouble with the Senate over her conduct on seat allocation.
The Supreme Court has affirmed the 2024 governorship election victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo.
In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court ruled that the appeal lacked merit. It upheld the earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had both declared Okpebholo the validly elected governor.
