Colonel Hassan Stan Labo, a retired military officer, has said that small arms weaponry, including as AK-47 rifles and pistols, are carried on almost every truck carrying grain that enters the North through the Nigerian borders.
He brought attention to the major obstacles posed by Nigeria’s vast boundaries in the northern regions. He emphasized that since the 1990s, there have been more than 1,527 unofficial pathways leading from the Sahel region to the Maghreb.
Even while he acknowledged that the supply chain for this illegal activity needs to be stopped, he emphasized how persistent the problem is because of how profitable it is for all parties involved and how there aren’t any serious repercussions.
He said in an interview with Vanguard, ”Given the extensive nature of Nigerian borders at the Northern fringes, over 1,527 illegal footpaths leading to the Maghreb across the Sahel region existed way back in the 90s.
Nearly every grain-loaded truck crossing the borders into the North carries small arms weapons. Be it a pistol or AK47. The supply chain for this business should be stopped but for the lucrative source of income it avails all parties and secondly the absence of severe consequences. Fine, mop-up actions are carried out but is anything ever heard concerning the culprits.”