The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mohammad Babandede, says only President Mohammadu Buhari could determine when the borders should be re-opened.
Babandede made this known while speaking at the project validation meeting with senior officers of the service, including zonal and state comptrollers of Immigration at the NIS headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said: “All goods, for now, are banned from being exported or imported through our land borders and that is to ensure that we have total control over what comes in.
“The borders are partially closed and this is in line with the ECOWAS rules where you must have travel documents. You must enter through the legal routes and with documents.”
The NIS Comptroller General debunked insinuations that the operation was targeted at some neighbouring countries, adding that the initiative was designed to secure the country.
According to him, “The Visa is not free, payment is done online, Biometric capture is carried out at the point of issuance and due diligence is observed in a manner that will not compromise national security and in line with International best practices.”