This was a major reason why Obasanjo closed the border. This guy hired lots of criminal gangs to launch armed robbery raids into Lagos and steal cars which they brought back to Benin. The cars were then stripped, repainted, etc. and then resold to Nigerians.

There was a notorious part of Lagos that witnessed violent armed robberies at the end of every year. That place was quiet during Christmas/New Year 2003 and it was because of that border closure.

Nigerian crime kingpin held

2003-10-19 12:08

Lagos - A suspected head of a cross-border criminal empire detained in Nigeria has been making some startling revelations that could help tackle crimes along Nigeria-Benin border, President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Saturday.

Amani Tidjani, a national of Niger, the alleged mastermind of a smuggling and robbery ring that operates between the two neighbouring countries has been making some "fantastic and unbelievable revelations" about cross-border crimes, Obasanjo said during a live interview on Radio Nigeria in Abuja.

Since the arrest, detention and interrogation of Tidjani, "cases of car-snatching and border crimes have drastically reduced" in Nigeria and along its border with Benin, he said in the interview.

Obasanjo did not give details of Tidjani's "revelations".

But Nigeria's oldest private newspaper, The Nigerian Tribune, reported on its front page on Saturday that the suspected robbery kingpin has implicated a lot of Nigerians and Beninese in his "revelations" during police interrogations.

"Tidjani is making very useful statements. Many people in this country and Benin have been implicated," inspector general of police, Tafa Balogun, told the newspaper.

The interview did not reveal the identities of those implicated by Tidjani.

Benin has returned 100 stolen "exotic" cars stolen from Nigeria, the Nigerian police said Friday in an official statement.

The return of these cars was part of an agreement on cross-border crimes reached at talks last August between Presidents Obasanjo and Mathieu Kerekou.

Tidjani has been at the centre of a recent diplomatic spat between Nigeria and Benin.

He was arrested on September 11 by police in Mali and extradited to Benin from where he was handed over to Nigeria last September 25.

He was arrested in Benin in July but was later released. Infuriated, Nigeria closed the two countries' common border on August 9.

The border was reopened a week later following the meeting between Kerekou and Obasanjo during which the two countries pledged greater co-operation in fighting bandits and smugglers who roam the border area.

https://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Nigerian-crime-kingpin-held-20031018

You are a PATRIOT BABA , always
But you goofed sha by supporting Atiku in the last election, you know him better than all of us but on another thought MAYBE you deliberately did it so that the Cameroonian can spent some of the loot he gathered while you were globe trotting and seeking forgiveness for our debts,.

I am yet to start feeling the in fact behind the closure of borders.

The good, the bad and the ugly supported border closure. The friends and enemy supported the border closure. The border should close for ever. We need to start produce everything in Nigeria.

naptu2:
He also closed the border when he was president.



http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/45407/nigeriabenin-border-closed-curb-banditry-and-smuggling

Gbam

anonimi:


What was the result of the closure back then
Increased farming and manufacturing in Nigeria or what did he achieve?

Result?

Dangote cement
Indomie noodles
Flour mills and dangote spaghetti
Chi vita, lacasera, bigi cola etc
Ajanla farms, chi farms and many more
Nigerian fashion industry(locally made cloths by tailors)
Eggs
GP plastics and tanks etc
Made in nigeria shoes
British American tobacco company
Nigerian made beers and alcoholic drinks
Nigerian made vegetable oils
Sugar made in nigeria(recently BUA group just completed and commissioned its $300m sugar factory in Kwara state)

If you were too young when nigeria was importing all those, then you should be asking those who were not rather than speaking on border closure.

muykem:
OBJ has backed Buhari on border closure. IPOB and PDP how far?

Must you type?

Emmaxy9:
One thing people fail to know is that saving money won't make it grow. It'll remain the same and with time, you'll be tempted to spend and spend till it finishes.







Thats why it's advisable to invest. Chat me on WhatsApp via my signature and I'll show how I earn 33k+ a month online just by sharing adverts of big companies

Your theory may be right but please can you tel is why Coscharis, Dangote and even Jerry Useni are building rice mills suddenly?

I agree....

Hopefully this time they will get the message.

I get the feeling they thought this would be initial gra gra and blow over quickly

Baba obasanjo agreeing with baba buhari policies, Nigeria is moving forward.

RichDad1:
PDP has been avoiding this border issue like a plague.

Every body know that border closure is good things.

Debaiz:


Result?

Dangote cement
Indomie noodles
Flour mills and dangote spaghetti
Chi vita, lacasera, bigi cola etc
Ajanla farms, chi farms and many more
Nigerian fashion industry(locally made cloths by tailors)
Eggs
GP plastics and tanks etc
Made in nigeria shoes
British American tobacco company
Nigerian made beers and alcoholic drinks
Nigerian made vegetable oils
Sugar made in nigeria(recently BUA group just completed and commissioned its $300m sugar factory in Kwara state)

If you were too young when nigeria was importing all those, then you should be asking those who were not rather than speaking on border closure.

Fantastic response. Very deep and on point.
Teaching history to all those undomie generations in nairaland.

The 0.5% from ETLS in the composition of duty

How is it shared?

anonimi:


What was the result of the closure back then
Increased farming and manufacturing in Nigeria or what did he achieve?

100% cement self sufficient, reduction in sugar importation, 90% reduction in pasta importation, reduction in plastic importation, emcouragment of local poultry farmer etc.

You need to understand Obj's border closure had particular product in focus and it was 80% successful otherwise we will still be major cement importer, pasta, sugar, poultry importer by now. This administration also has a focus which is rice, I believe if we stick to it just like Obj's it will be successful like cement.

The most annoying things about Nigerian youth is that they are ready to wail, complain about policy that could benefit them and at the end somebody else or foreigner will finally take advantage of such.

Nigeria youth don't recognize opportunities when they see one especially if it is not free money, white collar's job, fraud, corruption etc, they always want food directly on their table but it is not so all over the world.

muykem:
OBJ has backed Buhari on border closure. IPOB and PDP how far?

You are really a -1 to your family.

anonimi:


16 years later, with the corruption fighter and promised efficiency, why did we have to close the border again?
Has Buhari failed to deliver on his reform promise of discipline and zero corruption


www.nairaland.com/attachments/4257139_mumuhamadu_jpeg8f5b75be4e14a3d41f9327e6532cd03c

Oga pdp we have gone pass this, go and re-orientate yaself. Innovate or die like the dinosaurs

adecz:




Since Buhari govt talk say dem
wan investigate the $$15bn spent
on power by Obj govt, e be like say
Baba Iyabo dey fear to criticize
the government..

in fact, Obj has stopped writing letters.






The fear of Magu & EFCC is the
beginning of sense!!


After his prison experience during
Abacha regime, Baba no wan risk going
back again!!

Go and sleep joo..
Must you politicize this issue?
Did Obasanjo do same in 2003 or maybe you were a toddler still socking breast then.

[quote author=back2sender post=84400140]Baba obasanjo agreeing with baba buhari policies, Nigeria is moving forward. [/quote


You agree to disagree , you disagree to agree..

During obasanjo tenure a transnational kingpin on car snatching was arrested . He was extradited to Nigeria and was facing trial and later died In prison .

adecz:




Since Buhari govt talk say dem
wan investigate the $$15bn spent
on power by Obj govt, e be like say
Baba Iyabo dey fear to criticize
the government..

in fact, Obj has stopped writing letters.






The fear of Magu & EFCC is the
beginning of sense!!


After his prison experience during
Abacha regime, Baba no wan risk going
back again!!

Thank God many people here won't give a fool like you the cheap attention you required .... Obasanjo fear Magu

Slawormir:
Damnnnnn niggarrr

Damnnnnn

I don't do politics

But i like this man for that border closure

I love him for treasury single account( although Jonathan's idea)

And integrated payroll system( also Jonathan's idea)
But as a real niggarrr i understand government is a continuum

Which means buhari is a real niggarrr

Common Nigerians. Lets show these Africa nations that we are the real niggarrrs especially our noisy neighbor called Ghana.
Whether ASUU like it or not they will key into Ipps

Idea is one thing and having the balls to implement same is another, just like having the idea that you'd pass your exam but you don't read nor attend classes.
Every other thing you typed is in order

SamuelAnyawu:
Close that Border till 2050. My Taraba brothers don dey cashout

my cousins in kebbi are cashing out madly.

anonimi:


What was the result of the closure back then
Increased farming and manufacturing in Nigeria or what did he achieve?

Not much because it was later reopened after some weeks due to pressure from those countries but good enough, Buhari is sticking to his guns

muykem:
OBJ has backed Buhari on border closure. IPOB and PDP how far?

Never mind. Obj is quietly looking for his Biro to write another letter

anonimi:


16 years later, with the corruption fighter and promised efficiency, why did we have to close the border again?
Has Buhari failed to deliver on his reform promise of discipline and zero corruption


www.nairaland.com/attachments/4257139_mumuhamadu_jpeg8f5b75be4e14a3d41f9327e6532cd03c

What couldn't be done in 16 years with PDP and you expect Buhari to snap his fingers in 4 years and like magic, it falls into place

kahal29:



“It happened when I was president of Nigeria. I called the then Benin President, Nicephore Dieudonne Soglo, to let us meet at any of our border posts over the issue.

Now something caught my attention here.

I think the General(OBJ) got a few things mixed up here. True, I remember he once met the Benin President over this particular border security issue but it couldn't have been Nicephore Soglo. It must have been Matthew Kerekou, Nicephore Soglo's successor.

For the records, Nicephoré D. Soglo was President of Benin Republic from 1991-1996.
Upon leaving office in 1996, Soglo was succeeded as President of Benin by Matthew Kerekou who went on to rule for about 10 years from 1996 to 2006.

At the time OBJ was president of Nigeria 1999-2007, Nicephore Soglo was no longer President but Mayor of Cotonou. A mayorship he vacated in about 2006.

adecz:




Since Buhari govt talk say dem
wan investigate the $$15bn spent
on power by Obj govt, e be like say
Baba Iyabo dey fear to criticize
the government..

in fact, Obj has stopped writing letters.






The fear of Magu & EFCC is the
beginning of sense!!


After his prison experience during
Abacha regime, Baba no wan risk going
back again!!

Keep quiet.

When Obasanjo perceives there's something wrong with a government, he will write letters.

He's not a coward; he speaks his mind regardless of whose ox is gored.

AsomArchitectNG:
Hmm it's well

How come d finished building has palm trees behind it and the construction didn't.

Debaiz:


Result?

Dangote cement
Indomie noodles
Flour mills and dangote spaghetti
Chi vita, lacasera, bigi cola etc
Ajanla farms, chi farms and many more
Nigerian fashion industry(locally made cloths by tailors)
Eggs
GP plastics and tanks etc
Made in nigeria shoes
British American tobacco company
Nigerian made beers and alcoholic drinks
Nigerian made vegetable oils
Sugar made in nigeria(recently BUA group just completed and commissioned its $300m sugar factory in Kwara state)

If you were too young when nigeria was importing all those, then you should be asking those who were not rather than speaking on border closure.

You have time to quote that dude, he will just continue to spam your mentions with nonsense images and old articles, he can't reason on present subject to type sensible comments.
I wish NL has a button to block people.

This free trade stuff can't work in Africa...even EU dey face problem not to talk of AU