There was Pandemonium on Saturday at the Idi-Iroko border, Idi-Iroko in the Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State, as Yoruba nation agitators forcefully reopened the land border between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
Men of the Nigeria Customs (NCS) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), however made spirited efforts ar repelling them.
The border was closed down by the Federal Government since 2019 when it ordered all the land borders in the country to be closed as a way of controlling the illegal importation of goods and arms.
In a viral video circulated on social media, one of the agitators is seen snatching a gun from an immigration officer. The video also showed a man in yellow T-Shirt shooting the gun into the air while others hailed.
Voices of the agitators are heard daring soldiers and other security agents to come out and shoot, shouting “we have opened the border at Idi-Iroko” as the destroyed the gate. They also asked people to begin their importing business through the route.
Reacting to the news of the attack, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun 1 Area Command, Hammed Oloyede, confirmed the incident, adding however that the agitators were repelled.
Oloyede however denied attack on any Customs officer, saying that the situation was under control.
“There was no attack on our patrol bases or checkpoints. Those guys were just doing their own. They tried to attack one patrol point, but it was repelled. The situation is under control. There is no problem,” he said.
However, in his reaction Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, commended the action of the agitators.
He also accused the Federal Government of shutting down the land borders in the South-West while those in the North were open.
