The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has denied entry to 332 migrants at the Seme Border for failing to present valid travel documents.
Comptroller General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a one-day stakeholders’ sensitisation on “Evolving Patterns in Smuggling of Migrants: Towards a Coordinated National Response.”
Mrs Nandap highlighted the service’s recent achievements, noting that the NIS had strengthened its legal and institutional frameworks while expanding training programmes to improve officers’ capacity to detect and prevent smuggling activities.
“Recently, the border patrol at Seme denied entry to 332 migrants without valid travel documents. In addition, 294 Nigerians, suspected of attempting irregular migration under the ‘Japa Syndrome,’ were stopped from leaving the country,” she said.
She added that 36 victims of human trafficking and child labour were rescued at the border, successes made possible through the installation of new CCTV cameras at strategic locations.
The NIS CG assured that the NIS would continue collaborating with international and regional partners, including the AU, ECOWAS, EU, IOM, UNODC, INTERPOL, and the Federal German Police, to strengthen intelligence sharing and joint operations.
“The fight against the smuggling of migrants is not only a security imperative but also a moral responsibility. Every smuggled migrant represents a life at risk and a family disrupted,” Mrs Nandap said.
She urged government agencies, international organisations, civil society, and the private sector to sustain collaboration, stressing that no single institution could tackle migrant smuggling alone.
“Our success depends on acting as one national front guided by protection, accountability, and human dignity. Together, we can build a Nigeria where safe and regular migration becomes the norm,” she added.
(NAN)