President Muhamadu Buhari, on Tuesday, revealed that the land borders will be opened as soon as possible for trade.

The official handle tweeted that restriction was put in place to stem the illegal smuggling of weapons.

He noted that he explained to governors during the closed-door meeting that the governments of the neighbouring countries have gotten the message.

Buhari stated: 'In my meeting with state governors today, I explained that the closure of Nigeria’s land borders was partly an attempt to control the smuggling in of weapons and drugs. Now that the message has sunk in with our neighbours, we’re looking into reopening the borders as soon as possible.

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“We are investing heavily in weapons and equipment for our military. They have already received armoured cars and other equipment, and aircraft and more will come in. We will continue to give them all the support they need to fight criminals. We must and will secure Nigeria.

''Intelligence-gathering is also very critical to ensure lasting security in Nigeria. In this regard, everyone has a role to play, in addition to the security agencies: Governors, traditional rulers, community leaders, citizens. We must all work to boost intelligence-gathering.”

Nigeria shut its borders last year mainly to check smuggling and to stop the importation of agricultural products like rice.