IN this investigation, The ICIR exposes high-level, multi-billion-naira trans – border trading activities at the Saki-Benin border in Oyo State. The border is open to human movement but shut against the movement of goods by the Nigerian government. The report also reveals how scores of overloaded vehicles move with impunity in Saki town.

Moshood* makes a net gain of N400,000 monthly from petrol and other goods he smuggles into the Republic of Benin through the Saki-Okerete border.

He had worked as a motor mechanic in Saki but quit the job after realising how his friends had suddenly become prosperous hauling goods along the border. He acquired a Peugeot 504, mostly used for transporting goods in the town, and his income and lifestyle changed.

“I had worked as a mechanic for about ten years with nothing meaningful to show for it. Then, one day, I realised that my friend, Kazeem, had built two houses and bought another car within three years while transporting goods along the border. That was when I decided to join him,” Moshood, who sought identity protection for fear of arrest, said.

He is among hundreds of motorists who transport Nigerian goods through the unpaved, decrepit and dangerous Saki-Okerete border. Tonnes of food and drinks are smuggled through Saki to the Republic of Benin in clear violation of the Nigerian government’s order banning goods movement along the route. 

Economists who reacted to these findings said smuggling contributed to skyrocketing food prices in Nigeria. They also argued that the nation’s failure to protect its borders encouraged smuggling.

Former Director General of the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muda Yusuf, and a development economist, Celestine Okeke, said the activity was fuelled by depreciation of the Nigerian currency, which allows traders to make more gains by selling their goods to buyers outside the country, including Benin Republic whose currency – the CFA – is stronger than the naira.

Nigeria has scores of unprotected borders. In 2022, the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lucky Irabor, said northern Nigeria alone had 137 unprotected borders out of the 261 approved by the Federal Government. 

“There are about 364 approved international border points in Nigeria, with about 261 in the North-East and North-West regions. Out of this, only 124 are manned, leaving the remaining 137 unmanned by security agencies,” Irabor said.

In June 2025, during a media briefing at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, the current CDS, Christopher Musa, called for the fencing of the nation’s borders to curb insecurity and other crimes  Many Nigerians believe fencing the borders is a white elephant project for a nation battling revenue deficits, high debts, and ballooning corruption.

But Musa disagrees.

“Those thinking that building a border fence to protect our country from these crisis-infested countries and end porosity would be too expensive should learn from countries like Pakistan, which built a border wall separating the country from Afghanistan, a double border wall in a square size that is bigger than Nigeria,” he said.

Major goods smuggled from Nigeria along the Saki-Okerete route include beverages, petrol, yam, processed cassava, beans, and onions. These are cheaper in Nigeria. Similarly, Nigerians import mainly rice from the Benin Republic, where it is sold at about half of its price in Nigeria.

Nigerians used to smuggle vehicles through the border from Benin. Many people interviewed stated that the poor condition of the roads along the border, coupled with the declining value of the Nigerian currency, no longer makes car smuggling a lucrative business.

The ICIR findings showed that traders in both countries make between 60 and 100 per cent gross profit from the smuggled commodities.

Here is a brief analysis that proves this claim

A thousand naira in Nigeria is approximately 370 West African CFA. While a litre of petrol sells for N900 – N950 in Nigeria, it is 550 CFA in Benin republic, which is N1,435 when converted to naira.

A survey carried out by The ICIR indicates that a crate of canned malt (24 pieces) is N12,000 in Nigeria, but it is 6,500 CFA in Benin. This amount translates to N17,550 in Nigerian currency. While a can of malt is sold for N700 in Nigeria, it sells for 300 CFA (N810) in Benin.

Similarly, a pack of Coca-Cola and Fanta containing twelve 60CL plastic bottles is sold for N5,000 each in Nigeria. Each of the bottles goes for N500. In Benin, it sells for 2,500 CFA per pack (N6,750), and a bottle goes for 250 CFA (N675).

Borders currently open in Nigeria

Former President Muhammadu Buhari shut all Nigerian borders in August 2019 to boost local production and consumption of commodities produced in the country. The decision also coincided with the high level of insecurity in Nigeria, worsened by the nation’s porous borders.

He opened four of the borders a year later. These are Seme in the South-West, Ilela and Maigatari in the North-West, and Mfun in the South-South. Two more were later opened  by the current government.

The Saki-Okerete-Benin border

A few Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) officials man the Saki-Okerete border on the Nigerian side, while Beninese Immigration officials mount their post a few metres away from their Nigerian counterparts. The two nations are separated by the River Okparu, which flows between the Nigerian and Beninoise Immigration posts. 

Border officials from both nations collect bribes from anyone who cannot produce any of the travel documents acceptable to the two countries on the border. The documents include an ECOWAS passport and a national identity card. While the Nigerian Immigration officials charge N1,000, their counterparts in Benin demand N1,500 (approximately 550 CFA). Neither payment is receipted.

Because of the bribes, many people go through the border without documents. To buttress this fact, many people on the streets of Saki are quick to tell visitors how easy it is to go through both Immigration posts and how much each party takes as a bribe.

Several locals who spoke with The ICIR in Okerete said they did not have travel documents and could travel to Benin at any time. Findings further showed that border officials do not conduct checks on goods and other items transported through their posts after ‘settlement.’

A report said Nigeria lost N60 billion yearly to uncoordinated trading at the border as of 2023. The Saki-Okerete is just one of scores of borders aiding smuggling and revenue losses for the country.

Efforts by both nations to develop the border and construct a market to be known as Okerete International Market have failed to yield fruit.

While the Nigerian section of the border is in poor shape, the Benin Republic has cleared its part of the border with bulldozers. Benin citizens who live in Okerete said the work done on the road by their government showed the seriousness it attached to the border.

Nigerian petrol, beverages, foods, other products smuggled to Benin

Several drivers interviewed confirmed to The ICIR that they make huge fortunes from transporting goods from Nigeria to the Benin Republic.

Petrol as hot cake

The most common item transported out of Saki is petrol. Thousands of kegs of petrol depart the ancient town daily for different routes linking Benin. The product is kept in the popular yellow 30-litre kegs used for selling vegetable oil (and palm oil in Nigeria)

Scores of motorcyclists are also involved in the smuggling business. They travel with up to a dozen kegs, which they fasten to both sides of their motorbikes and their seats.  While most vehicles coming from the Nigerian side stop at Okerete, motorbikes ply both nations through Saki, Kilibo, and other towns in Benin.

When returning to Nigeria, the motorcyclists come with bags of rice, sold at just about half the Nigerian price in Benin. While the price of a bag of rice in Nigeria ranges from N54,000 to N70,000, it is between N24,000 and N30,000 in Benin.

At least three major routes link Saki with Benin. The first is Okerete. The second is Saki through Bukuro, a border town in Kwara State. The third route is from Saki through Budu Ariki, another border town in Kwara. This route leads to Kuyi in Benin, according to drivers who provided insights into the illegal trade.

Saki – where Peugeot 504 remains a luxury

Saki is arguably the only town in Nigeria with the largest number of Peugeot 504s. It is the most common vehicle used for transporting goods across borders in the town. The car, popular in Nigeria in the early 1970s and the late 1980s, is reinforced by the Saki people to enable it to convey large goods.

“In Saki, we don’t believe that the Peugeot 504 can turn into scraps. That’s the car that has turned many of us into millionaires,” said one of the drivers, Olufemi Adeyemi.

Adeyemi said a Peugeot 504 parked for a long time anywhere in Nigeria could sell for up to N1 million if its engine had no issues.

To enable the car to carry many goods and passengers, the owners reinforce it by replacing its shock absorbers with springs from bigger vehicles. They also weld iron rods on the vehicle roof and support the rods with long ropes for fastening goods to the car. With these, the vehicles carry as much load as small trucks can.     

In addition to conveying goods, about 10 passengers could sit on the load strapped to the vehicle’s roof. People involved in the business said many passengers had fallen off the car and died. 

Saki – a community of people from two nations    

Though Saki is a major town in Yorubaland, checks by The ICIR show that some of its residents are from the Benin Republic. They engage in commercial motorcycling, farming and other businesses.

There are also many residents from other parts of Nigeria, especially the North. They are mostly traders and commercial motorcyclists.

Despite the increasing economic activities in Saki, the town lacks good internal roads and electricity. Residents said they only enjoy electricity once a month. 

The journey through Saki and Okerete

On May 7, 2025, at about 7:am, it was the turn of Wasiu Awolu to load his Peugeot 504 to Okerete from the second gate of Okere’s Palace in Saki. Little did he know that the journey would end on a sad note for him.

As of 8 a.m., he already had six passengers, four of whom were Benin nationals. There were also four children waiting to make the trip. The ten passengers were more than enough to fill his vehicle. But the driver would not take off until he had goods almost double the size of his vehicle.   

First, Awolu left the park and brought about 15 bags of flour. He dropped them and returned to pick up beverages and other goods packaged in special sacks sewn by smugglers for conveying large goods.

At 1 pm, he began loading the goods. He kept some under the car’s seats, some in the boot, and loaded the rest – several sacks – on the vehicle. These were in addition to the passengers’ luggage.

Four adult passengers sat on the goods atop the car while six others and four children squeezed themselves into the vehicle with the driver. Awolu left the park at 3 p.m. to proceed on a six-hour journey to Okerete.

This is the situation for many vehicles leaving Saki for different destinations. Some carry loads meant for nearly a dozen of their type, and they do this in the full glare of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officials.

Despite being lucky that there was no rain, which makes vehicles ‘swim’ for hours on the Saki-Okerete road, Awolu’s struggle to move his car to Okerete came to an abrupt end at about 5:30 pm. He had yet to reach halfway through the trip when his car drifted and fell with a bang, causing some of its parts to shatter.

Before then, the driver had always filled the car’s radiator with water almost every 30 minutes, and the vehicle had developed faults twice. It was the rear shocks that first pulled off, followed by the car’s exhaust pipe, which was damaged by a stone. Awolu later realised that one of his tyres had lost pressure. Unfortunately, he had no spare. As the car rattled and teetered, he hoped to manage it to the Edera community where he would repair the exhaust and shock, and also inflate the tyre.

While approaching Edera, Awolu tried repeatedly to drive through a puddle. He succeeded after his third attempt. But luck eluded him while climbing a hill afterwards. The vehicle tipped over and flipped on its side.

Many of the goods tied to the car’s roof, including bags of flour, burst and littered the ground.

Awolu was pulled out of his car by passers-by, as he gasped for breath. His passengers, too, were rescued from death.  The ICIR reporter, who was in the car, had to find his way back to Saki and look for other means the following morning to begin the journey to Okerete afresh. 

Awolu and many Saki residents told the reporter how dangerous the road is. They said there had been several cases of armed robbery along the border.

The journey from Saki to Okerete takes people through Edera, Ayemojuba, and Orisunmibare. Apart from a platoon of soldiers and a handful of Customs officers stationed with a van at Ayemojuba and Orisunmibare, respectively, the border is free from any security checks from Saki to Okerete.

From Okerete, Oke-Odo enroute to Kilibo in Benin Republic

Okerete is the last border town where major buying and selling take place between Nigerians and the people of Benin. A big market, constructed with wood and palm fronds in the community, serves as the trading point. People trade at the market every Sunday.

There is a ‘Garage’ near the Okerete Market where traders from Nigeria offload their goods for onward passage to buyers from Benin. The Nigerian and Beninese Immigration Service posts are about one kilometre from the Garage.

History has it that one of the forefathers of Okere, the king of Saki town, founded Okerete town, whose full name is Okeretedo, meaning the town founded by Okere. West African traders have reportedly used the route as a key crossroad between Dakar, Bamako, Ouagadougou, Djougou, Kilibo, Saki, Ilorin, Ibadan, among others.

In addition to trading, many residents of Okerete, especially pregnant women and sick children, seek medical care in Benin. This is because this service is closer to them in Benin than in their country.

At least ten traders, including Olokerete’s wife, Rashidat, expressed delight with economic activities in the community. Others are Wosilatu Yinusa, Aliratu Yekini (Iyaloja of Okerete), Alfa Abdulakeem Demi, Aliu Fulani, Ratu Ismaila, and Adeagbo Adam. They appealed to the Nigerian government to construct a good road on the border to boost commerce between the two nations.

However, at Kilibo, in Benin republic, where many traders patronise the Okerete Market, none agreed to speak with The ICIR on trading activities with their Nigerian counterparts. “They know that what they’re doing is very bad,” the motorcyclist who took the reporter to the town said. The journey from Okerete to Kilibo is about two hours on a motorbike, while it is less than five hours from Saki to Okerete.

Nigerian Immigration officers demand travel documents, including ECOWAS passport and national identity card, from people moving across the border, but The ICIR observed that most people who go through the border do not have the documents. People without documents are made to pay N1,000 before being allowed to pass. 

At the Benin end of the border, immigration officials only communicate with their nationals who convey the visitor because they only speak French. Before taking off at Okerete, the driver or motorcyclist would have collected N1,500 from the passenger who does not have a passport. He converts the money into nearly 6 CFA and hands it to the Benin Immigration officials.

With the N1,000 and N1,500 bribes for the Nigerian and Benin Immigration officials, respectively, nationals of the two countries can move freely into either country without a travel document.

Even though the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocol on Free Movement guarantees the right of ECOWAS citizens to enter, reside, and establish economic activities in the territory of other member states, it, however, offers a three-step roadmap to achieve freedom of movement of persons after fifteen years. The protocol allows citizens of ECOWAS countries to move freely and visit any other member state without requiring a visa.

For up to 90 days, citizens can stay in any ECOWAS member state without any prior administrative or police formality linked to the stay. The right to reside in an ECOWAS member state is based on the presentation of a residence card or residence permit issued to all citizens who desire one. Many people who go through the Saki-Okerete border do not possess the documents.

Deforestation of the Nigerian border         

The ICIR noted that hundreds of hectares of land along the Nigerian border are used for farming, with different crops planted on the land, including yam, cassava, maize, and melon. The land appears very fertile as the crops grow well.     

It was gathered that many of the farmers are from the Benin Republic; they collaborate with their Nigerian neighbours. Most of the farmers work in groups.

However, a major blow to Nigeria is the huge deforestation taking place on those farms.  While no such farming activity takes place on the Benin land linking Nigeria, hundreds of trees have been burnt by farmers on the Nigerian land. The reporter moved from Okerete to Fesomu (a Yoruba-speaking town in Benin) and Kilibo (a French-speaking community) in Benin and could not see any trees slashed and burnt as done on the Nigerian side of the border. 

Reactions from experts 

Yusuf said managing Nigerian borders “is an extremely challenging responsibility because we have too many illegal routes, and the borders are very porous. I don’t know what we can do about that.

“You’re only talking about one side; you’re not even talking about the North. The same thing in South-South, from Calabar to Cameroon. We need to do strong capacity building and invest more if we really want to police the border. Our borders are very vast and our inability to police them properly is contributing to the problem of insecurity and some extent, to food inflation and the rest.”

He added, “From the economic point of view, the depreciation of the currency has created a very strong incentive for export to neighbouring countries. N1 used to buy about 2.5 CFA. Now, one CFA is buying about N3. You can see that the thing has been completely reversed. From an economic point of view, this situation has created something positive for export development.”

He said many traders along the Saki-Okerete route would be informal sector traders who did not register with the government. He said that there was a need to encourage them to formalise their businesses.

“If you look at all these people that you are talking about, they are informal sector people. That is the way they do their own business. They don’t have that scale. They only buy and sell small goods. How can they register? So the informal nature of our trade is also a problem. That is why some of these things are not formalised because some of the products that are being taken out under ECOWAS protocol, some of them may be legitimate.”

Asked if ECOWAS protocol allows informal trading, he said, “We have a long list of products that we can trade in,” adding that such goods would not be sold along unauthorised borders.

Similarly, a development economist, Celestine Okeke, said the Nigerian borders had remained loose for a long time.

According to him, when the government says a border is closed, it should not be used for smuggling goods.

“Nigerian borders can hardly be closed. I’m not sure of the number, I think we have over 200 open border points where one can move things out of the country. The question we should be asking ourselves is, why are they moving these goods to go sell in another country? There is a better market for the producers or the traders. If Benin Republic is not offering them a better market, they will not move their products to go and sell there.”

He said Nigeria was not structured in a way that the movement of goods out of the country could be tracked.

However, he opined that the sale of Nigerian food products to other countries was just a contributory factor to food inflation in Nigeria, and not fully responsible for it. He blamed declining productivity in the agriculture sector for food inflation.

Nigerian Customs, Immigration react

The ICIR contacted the spokesperson of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, Assistant Comptroller of Customs, on Friday, April 18. He confirmed that the border was closed to the movement of goods by the Federal Government.

Confronted with our findings, Maiwada said that the service was doing its best.

“I can say without doubt that there is no Customs in the world that has ever brought smuggling to an end. Our role is to suppress smuggling to the barest minimum. This is evident in the interceptions we’ve had in Oyo, given the records available in the state,” the Customs spokesperson said.

Similarly, when contacted, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Akinsola Akinlabi, an Assistant Comptroller, said the border was open to human movement.

Told about our findings, Akinlabi said that nobody sent immigration officers to collect bribes from anyone.

He, however, said given the closeness of communities along the border, the officials could be considerate to people within communities along the border.

“The standard practice is that if you want to cross the border, you need to show an identity card to prove your nationality. It doesn’t have to be a passport. It could be an ECOWAS travel certification. It could be a national ID. The ECOWAS is trying to launch an ID that will cut across the region. I think it’s coming up very soon. These are things that are required, especially if you’re an ECOWAS citizen; you do not need to carry your national passport.

“All I know is that standard procedure requires that if you want to cross a border to another border, you need to show proof of ID…I assure you, the Service has not sent anyone to collect N1,000 or whatever the amount to facilitate crossing along international border line.

“Some of them may not have documents because they are local people. What are they using documents for? There has always been interconnectivity within those border communities. For them, the concept of bringing travel documents will look so strange. At the same time, we need to facilitate their movements without any form of restrictions or burden.

Marcus FATUNMOLE

Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org