NIGERIA BEEFS UP BORDER SECURITY AMID FEARS OF MIGRANT INFLUX FROM CHAD

Fri 23 April 2021:

The Nigerian defense minister said Thursday that controls had been stepped up on the border with Chad, where the president’s death in battlefield has unleashed a new wave of chaos.

“We are beefing up all our borders to ensure that refugees do not flow into our country,” Bashir Magashi, a retired major general, was quoted as saying by the Vanguard news website.

“The problem of Chad is now going to be aggravated because we are not sure the direction in which that country is going to face, but I assure you that we are mindful of borders, and we are mindful of the development; and politically, the government is putting its heads together to see how best they can restore the peace in that country,” the official said.

According to him, as regards the issues of weapons and arms proliferation, Chad has been the buffer stopping all the infiltration of weapons and small arms into Nigeria.

“Right from Libya down to Nigeria, it is very easy now because of the absence of the influence of Chad in that route. We also have to take care of that and prepare our minds for it,” Magashi said.

He said the Nigerian government is on top of the situation, urging other African countries to find a solution to the situation in Chad. Enditem

He said only Nigerians would be allowed to cross over from Chad for fear that Chadian “bandits” could slip into Nigeria.

Former Chadian President Idriss Deby died earlier this week from bullet injuries sustained while in a battle against rebels in the northern part of the country — a development that has caused a gloomy security situation.

The president’s son has been named interim leader. He has tasked the military council to head the nation’s 18-month transition to elections.