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Nigeria reopens land borders after 18-month closure
CGTN
Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari is expressing sadness over a "gruesome vehicle accident" in which 21 people, most of them young school children, were killed. /AFP

Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari is expressing sadness over a "gruesome vehicle accident" in which 21 people, most of them young school children, were killed. /AFP

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday ordered the immediate reopening of the country's land borders 18 months after they were closed.

The West African country's land borders were closed in August 2019 in what the government said was an effort to contain the smuggling of contraband.

In a meeting with governors last week, Buhari had promised to reopen the borders "as soon as possible."

"In my meeting with State Governors today I explained that the closure of Nigeria’s land borders was partly an attempt to control the smuggling in of weapons and drugs. Now that the message has sunk in with our neighbours, we're looking into reopening the borders as soon as possible," said Buhari.

The effects of the blockade have been felt as far as Ghana, with manufacturers complaining about the impact on costs. Factories and traders have struggled to import key raw materials and had to use alternative routes for their exports.

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