By Ibironke Ariyo
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mrs Kemi Nandap has pledged to strengthen border security and surveillance to combat security challenges bedeviling the country.
Addressing Comptrollers of the 36 states includ ing the FCT on Tuesday in Abuja, the NIS CG emphasised the need for effective border control measures to prevent illegal activities, including smuggling and terrorism.
Nandap stressed the importance of physical presence, surveillance, and data collection to address the security challenges at the country’s borders.
He charged the comptrollers to be honest and diligent in executing the mandate of the service, adding that officers must be mindful of border surveillance.
“The reason for this meeting is how to ensure that our borders are safe and secure.
“I also went to find out what we are not doing well within our borders. “How can we ensure that we are effective and efficient?”
Nandap noted that the country is facing a lot of security challenges, adding that they require the utmost attention from the service.
He said: “Even though we have managed to contain the situation relatively well so far, we cannot afford to be complacent.
“As controllers, it is essential that you conduct regular monitoring and be physically present on the ground to understand the challenges your teams are facing.
“The days of remote working are over; it is time to work and find solutions to the problems we are facing.
“We can no longer tolerate the influx of non-Nigerians into our country. It is time we take our responsibilities seriously and tackle these security challenges head-on.
“We must ensure that our borders are safe and secure. I have assessed our border controls and identified areas that need improvement. “We must be effective and efficient in our operations,” he said.
Consequently, the SRI CG has ordered the use of a declaration template to ensure standardised declaration, adding that this would help strengthen border surveillance.
“We have officers in all 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) but we are not using them effectively. We need to change that to improve our service delivery.
“Some hotspots are known for migrant smuggling and terrorism; you should know what your area is prone to, I mean the crimes that are prevalent there.
“You have to analyze your state and know the characteristics of crime, only then can you come up with solutions and be relevant to the state government,” he said.
