The Yobe State Governor, Mai Buni, has linked the increasing insecurity in Nigeria to unmanned borders.
Buni disclosed this when he received the newly deployed Assistant Controller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service in charge of Zone ‘C’, James Sunday, at the Government House, Damaturum on Thursday.
According to the governor, the country is taking border patrol lightly, making it easy for foreigners to illegally migrate into the country.
He further argued that the lack of border patrol in Nigeria fuels the development of terrorism, kidnappings, banditry, and farmers/herders conflict among other criminal activities.
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“Today, the border issue is even taking centre stage even in American politics. Some of the candidates are now talking about border control. However, in this country, we are taking the issue very lightly. If you don’t control your borders, you leave your country porous and open to all sorts of crimes. We have to come out with acceptable templates to make this work. We will support you to make sure our people are protected,” he said.
While speaking at his palace on the insecurity faced, the Emir of Damaturu, Shehu El-kanemi, commended the Nigeria Immigration Service for working tirelessly in fishing out foreigners, especially at the peak of insurgencies in the country.
“Without peace, there is no development. Without peace, there is no progress. We thank God for his mercies. We also thank the state’s security agencies for their efforts so far. So far, we have seen lives being lost, wealth being destroyed, and above all; the number of widows and orphanages that came out of the crisis in the North-East. This is why we are calling for a beef up in the security architecture in the state,” he said.
On his part, the assistant controller general called for the establishment of joint operations with the military and police, as one of the ways to fish out non-Nigerians coming into the country along the borders.
He added that the deployment of the officers in charge of the zone will create more synergy with sister security outfits, to tackle challenges faced along the international borders in the North-East.
“I want to beg his Excellency for the establishment of joint operations with the military and police because the immigration cannot handle this alone. If possible, at the next security meeting, this should be part of the discussions.
“Our officers are experienced because most of them have been on JTF. And if they are not being given the opportunity to use their skills, and training to fish out these elements, who will know those infiltrating our country, particularly at this time when there is a problem in Niger. Now Chad has followed.
“We cannot close our eyes to this. That is why I decided to come to Maiduguri and Yobe to draw the ears of my officers to this. They must work with the state government to nib this menace in the bud,” he said.
