Nigeria will soon adopt electronic border (e-border) monitoring and surveillance for its seaports, international airports and land borders, the Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, has said.
Babandede said the e-border control system will checkmate trans-border criminals, banditry, border crimes and related offences.
The NIS boss explained that the technology for e-border would be built and installed at strategic points to provide “real time online” surveillance for the nation’s borders – land, sea and air – in good time.
Babandede, who spoke at the weekend in Ilashe town of Ogun State while inaugurating the state command Forward Operation Base (FOB) of the NIS at the border area community, said the intelligence gathered from the e-border control system would be swiftly passed across to security agencies for appropriate action.
The Comptroller General said the Ilashe FOB, being the second to be established in the state, would assist the officers of the command in policing of the nation’s land borders with the Republic of Benin.
He urged the officers to be civil in their engagement with the public, saying their arms are for defending the country and not for harassing Nigerians.
Babandede stressed that the NIS would always ensure that the borders are opened for entry and exit by travellers or migrants, but that the movements must follow the legal routes while travellers must present valid travel documents.
Governor Dapo Abiodun, who was represented by the Culture and Tourism Commissioner Taiwo Emmanuel, urged Federal Government to give Ogun State a special status in border control and administration, given its strategic position as an industrial hub and a window to other West African countries.
Abiodun said migration is an integral part of life as it drives growth and development, but stressed that if left unchecked, could present enormous challenges.
The Comptroller of NIS State Command, Kunle Osisanya, regretted that there were many unauthorised routes in the state but assured the nation that the FOB would enable the command to check human trafficking and other border crimes.
