The military says it has shut Nigeria’s border in Adamawa State with Cameroon to stop the activities of Boko Haram and to prevent them from using the country as a haven for attacks.

Brigadier General Rogers Nicholas of the 23rd Armored Brigade said he was exercising emergency powers because it is ‘imperative’ to seal the border between Cameroon and Adamawa State against illegal crossings.

Large stretches of that porous border are generally left unpatrolled.

He said Customs and Immigration officials are working with soldiers and police ‘to ensure that nothing crosses into Nigeria’.

The border between Borno State and Cameroon which Nigerian troops and a jet bomber crossed last month in pursuit of terrorists apparently remains opened.

The move will affect hundreds of traders who routinely cross the border.