Nigeria’s porous borders

Nigeria’s porous borders are infamous. David Parradang, Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) lately revealed that there are over 1,400 illegal routes into Nigeria – 1,316 more than the approved number of border control posts. The 84 approved border controls cover 4,047km, the total length of Nigeria’s land border. Ogun and Adamawa states, for example, have 83 and 80 illegal posts respectively.

In the fight against terrorism and the safeguarding of territorial integrity, a country’s border is the first line of defence. Outside of China, Russia, Brazil and the European Union, African countries have most number of unique land borders and neighbours. For instance, 18 of the top 46 countries with long borders are in Africa. Nigeria is ranked 18th on the list.

In other words, Nigeria, with fewer neighbours and a shorter land border, should be safer than say, Mauritania, Angola or South Africa. It is not. Based on the Mo Ibrahim Index for 2013, in terms of rule of law, personal safety and national security Africa’s largest economy scored poorly. Only four countries: DR Congo, Central Africa Republic, Chad and Libya, with longer land borders and more neighbours than Nigeria are worse.

Nigeria’s big economy is not translating into a better socio-political environment. Decades of neglect by Nigeria’s political elite have caused informal economies that border on crime to thrive. Like a pipe with many holes Nigeria’s borders are used to smuggle people, guns, rice, tokunboh cars, fake pharmaceuticals and other contraband goods.

Last June, the Nigerian military seized arms and ammunition from Islamic fighters. Such arms are being used by Boko Haram, the radical group, to attack civilians, businesses, government institutions and security forces. No one is spared from the indiscriminate terror they unleash with impunity.

Freedom Onoha, a security expert, contends that the terror perpetrated by Boko Haram has eclipsed other security threats like piracy, militancy, kidnapping and armed robbery. This year alone Boko Haram attacks have killed over 1,400 people.

In the north-east, the borders Nigeria shares with Cameroun, Niger and Chad stretch over 1,690, 1,497 and 87 kilometres respectively. All share a common feature: porosity. Places like Baga, Mubi, Bama and Gwoza in Borno state that have suffered frequent attacks are located along the border Borno shares with Cameroun.

The hills of Gwoza and the forests of the Sambisa Forest Reserve shelter the insurgents. Gowza Hills, for example, is at the north-east of the Mandara Mountains that straddle north-east Nigeria and the far north of Cameroun.

The situation of Nigeria’s porous borders, which serve as conduits for illicit transnational traffic of small arms and light weapons and drugs, is further exacerbated by limited presence of security and law enforcement officials. If they are present, they are poorly equipped, poorly paid and poorly trained.

Arms and ammunition – surface-to-air missiles, anti-tank missiles, rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), AK-47 assault rifles etc – looted by rebel forces and mercenaries during the uprising in Libya have been acquired by terrorist groups like Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and sold to Boko Haram and its splinter groups.

The audacity and carnage of Boko Haram has risen in proportion to the proliferation of arms and ammunition from Libya. Camels, donkeys, cattle, trucks, trailers and petrol tankers that ply the porous borders of the expansive areas that make up Yobe and Borno states are used to smuggle these arms.

Parradang reckons the issue will take time to correct. It is not too late to start thinking of and implementing a comprehensive national security plan that includes cooperating with the governments of Niger, Cameroun and Chad as well equipping and training personnel that can man our borders and ensure the economic and physical security of Nigeria.