Nigeria shuts land, sea borders ahead of election

Nigeria has announced the closure of all land and sea borders ahead of Saturday’s presidential elections, the Interior Ministry announced Wednesday.

All borders will effectively be closed from midnight March 25, to midnight Saturday, March 28, the ministry said in a statement.

The release, signed by the permanent secretary, Abubakar Magaji, said the borders would be closed “to allow for the peaceful conduct of the forthcoming national elections”.

It also said the Nigeria Immigration Service has been directed to ensure that non-Nigerians do not participate in any part of the election process.

Nigeria is also battling an insurgency along its northern-eastern border. Regional forces have been recapturing territory from the Boko Haram insurgents in the last six weeks.

A government statement said the borders would be shut from midnight on Wednesday to midnight on Saturday, local time, to ensure the vote went off peacefully. bbc / premiumtimes