One week after the authorities of Nigeria Customs Service opened the Illela land border between Nigeria and Niger Republic, the government of Niger Republic on Friday reopened its border with Nigeria in the regions of Diffa, Tahoua, Maradi and Dosso.
The Informant247 reports that the land border between the two neighbours was closed following the coup d’état of July 26 and the ECOWAS sanctions that followed.
However, in a radio message broadcast on social networks on Thursday, the Nigerien Ministry of Interior instructed the governors of these border regions to reauthorise the reopening at exactly 12:00 midnight while also directing the affected governors to strengthen controls and security along the 1,500 kilometres stretch of land demarcation.
Nigeria’s border was opened weeks ago after the lifting of ECOWAS sanctions during a summit in Abuja, but Niger did not immediately reciprocate the gesture.
However, the border of the uranium-rich nation to its neighbour Benin is still closed on the Niger side despite the swift implementation of the ECOWAS directive by Beninese authorities, citing security reasons as the basis for not reopening the border with the southern neighbours.