What Does The Benin President Know?

Before Nigeria closed its land borders in August, President Muhammadu Buhari gave his Beninoise counterpart, Patrice Talon, a hint on the sidelines of a meeting in Japan.

The commonly known reason why Buhari took the step was because Nigeria’s western land border with Benin was going to be the most heavily impacted.

There is, however, a lesser known secret about smuggling along the Nigeria-Benin border.

Sources told Interview Confidential that smuggling along this particular border reaches to the highest echelons of power in Benin, with proceeds from the crime funneled into politics.

Sources said President Talon, who was a businessman before he became president in 2016, knew a lot about smuggling along the Nigeria-Benin border, and in fact, was alleged to have profited hugely from the activities. What exactly did President Talon know about smuggling along the land borders?