ABUJA, March 23 (Reuters) - Nigeria closed its land borders
on Monday to curb the spread of coronavirus as Africa's most
populous country recorded its first death from the pandemic.
Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government, said the closure
would last for four weeks.
Nigeria had closed parts of its borders in August to fight
smuggling of rice and other goods, but people had still been
permitted to cross both ways.
"All land borders that have been hitherto under partial
closure shall now be closed for human traffic for four weeks
effective," Mustapha, who heads the presidential coronavirus
task force, said in a statement.
Nigeria's two main international airports, in Lagos and
Abuja, were due to close from Monday night. Authorities registered five new cases of coronavirus, taking
Nigeria's total number to 36, as well as its first death, in a
man of 67.