By Yinka Kayode
There was a palpable tension at the border town of Idiroko in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State, as youths, under the aegis of Oodua Republic Agitators, in their scores, stormed the ancient town, demanding for the immediate reopening of the border closed by the Federal Government since 2019.
Idiroko, located between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, is one of the few borders that were left closed after President Muhammadu Buhari declared others opened in December 2020.
The Idiroko land border has been shut since 2019 when the Federal Government ordered that all importations must be done through the seaports.
The protesters, who carried only a banner with the inscription: The Republic of Oodua, chanted slogans such as Enough is enough, the suffering is too much. We don’t want to stay in Nigeria any longer. We want Oodua Nation, marched down to Centry, the border point between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin and forcefully opened the gates at the international frontier.
In a 20-minute viral video, a gun was snatched from an immigration officer and a man in a yellow T-shirt was seen shooting the gun into the air to the admiration of others at the scene.
Different voices were heard in the video calling on soldiers and other security agents to come out and shoot
They destroyed the gates at the border, screaming: “We have opened the border at Idiroko and asked people to begin their importing business through the route.”
During the invasion, a young man, who was accused of trying to record the incident with his mobile phone, was attacked and beaten without mercy.
