Nigeria ordered its land borders shut ahead of presidential elections on Saturday in Africa’s biggest democracy.
(Bloomberg) — Nigeria ordered its land borders shut ahead of presidential elections on Saturday in Africa’s biggest democracy.
The borders will be closed for 24 hours starting at midnight on Saturday, the Nigerian Immigration Service said in an emailed statement. The tradition of closing borders dates back to the return of democracy in 1999 and is aimed at preventing non-Nigerians from crossing through the country’s porous borders to vote.
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Similarly, banks — under pressure amid a widespread cash shortage — are operating for a half day on Friday to enable staff to get home early ahead of voting day. That is likely to leave many Nigerians scrambling for cash over the election weekend.
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