The Illela land border between Nigeria and the Niger Republic has been officially reopened, one week after the Nigeria Customs Service announced its reopening. Following suit, the government of the Niger Republic opened its border in Konni for operations on Friday.
Nuhu Samaila, a source who provided updates from Konni, Niger Republic, stated that the border was declared open at exactly 12pm on Friday. He commended the decision of the country’s military junta for listening to the yearnings of the people and taking the necessary steps to reopen the border.
Samaila noted that he was pleased with the government’s decision and that the reopening of the border would help the economies of the Niger Republic and Nigeria. He said that this development would facilitate more trading between the two nations.
The Federal Government of Nigeria complied with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to reopen Nigeria’s air and land borders with the neighboring country, and as a result, the Republic of Niger began receiving electricity. One of the sanctions imposed on the Niger Republic by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was the suspension of the power supply.
The coup that occurred in the Niger Republic in July 2023—which led to the detention and removal of President-elect Mohamed Bazoum—prompted the imposition of sanctions. Leaders of the ECOWAS, including President Tinubu, requested that Niger’s constitutional order be restored and deemed Bazoum’s arrest and detention to be unlawful.
Iheanacho Ojike, Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Kebbi State Command, formally reopened the Kamba land border in compliance with President Tinubu’s order. In order to generate revenue for Kebbi State, Ojike underlined the border’s strategic significance with Kamba.
Reopening the borders at Konni, in the Niger Republic, and Illela, in Nigeria, is a positive move that will support bilateral trade and encourage economic cooperation between the two nations. It is expected that the policies enacted by both governments will strengthen the economies of the two countries.
