The Nigeria Immigration Service on Friday said it was “rejigging” its border security formations for improved surveillance and patrol.
The newly-appointed Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mrs Kemi Nandap, said this when the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, inaugurated 30 operational vehicles for border surveillance and patrol at the NIS headquarters, Abuja.
“This investment in border security will be complemented with a rejig of our border corps architecture to include agile sector commanders to carry out consistent surveillance and patrol of our borders in line with our core mandate,” Nandap stated.
Her statement follows the reopening of Nigeria’s border with neighbouring Niger Republic amid heightened terrorist activities in the northern part of the country where killings and kidnappings have been occurring frequently.
The nation has witnessed waves of abductions and attacks by suspected bandits and other violent crimes, leading to calls for the establishment of a multi-level policing system, including state police.
According to reports, in Kaduna State alone, terrorists have killed and abducted over 450 persons in the past month.
On March 7, over 280 pupils and teachers of the Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School in Kuriga, Kaduna State, were kidnapped.
A day earlier, the United Nations said at least 200 internally displaced persons were abducted from their camp in the Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State.
On March 9, bandits reportedly kidnapped no fewer than 15 Tsangaya students at the Gidan Bakuso area of the Gada Local Government Area in Sokoto State.
On March 14, at least 16 soldiers were killed while on a peace-keeping mission to curtail clashes between Okuoma and Okoloba communities in Delta State.
On February 20, bandits kidnapped over 26 travellers along the Gusau-Sokoto highway. They were said to have blocked the road around Kwaren Kirya village in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State and abducted the travellers from a Toyota bus and a Volkswagen Golf vehicle.
But Nandap emphasised the role of effective border surveillance and patrol in “safeguarding our sovereignty, protecting our citizens, preserving our economic prosperity as well as facilitating regular, safe, and orderly migration.”
She said the 30 surveillance vehicles “represent a concrete investment in our capacity, providing our dedicated officers with the tools needed to carry out their duties.”
She added that the acquisition of the vehicles underscored the service’s unwavering commitment to border security and its determination to stay one step ahead of those who seek to undermine Nigeria’s laws and threaten its safety.
“With enhanced mobility, our border patrol teams will be better equipped to detect and deter illegal activities, including smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons, and other transnational crimes,” she added.
Nandap thanked Tunji-Ojo for his unwavering support to the NIS “in achieving unprecedented heights of efficiency in migration management and border security.”
