The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) says it is complementing the war against insurgent groups by the military with increased surveillance of borders to check entrance of illegal migrants.
At a meeting on Wednesday with the Governor of Nasarawa State, Mr Tanko Al-makura, the Comptroller General of the immigration service, David Paradang, said that securing the border better would help check security challenges in north-central region of Nigeria, where there has been intense fighting between local farmers and herdsmen.
“Profiling non-Nigerians and illegal migrants is the best way of ridding the country of insurgent groups,” Mr Paradang told reporters.
The Immigration Surveillance and Tracking Campaign, according to the Comptroller General, will also cover border control, as the nation battle to end its Ebola cases, especially with countries worst hit by the Ebola outbreak.
He further stated that the ECOWAS convention of free movement did not forbid Nigeria from closing it borders in times of public health concern as with the case of Ebola.
The Comptroller General also stated that the NIS profiling programme was paying off, with the deportation of over 780,000 illegal migrants in June.
Mr Paradang’s visit is part of the service’s efforts in tracking insurgents groups along the planes of the north-central region where fighting has been on since last year.
At the meeting, Governor Al-makura urged local government chairmen and the traditional institution to give the service every necessary support.
