Immigration Mobilises Collaborative Anti-terrorist Task Force

Kemi Nandap, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, revealed that the organisation is stepping up its efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s borders, especially those along the sea, in order to fight transnational crimes like piracy and terrorism.

Nandap made this known on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of a Regional Workshop on Maritime Border Security, organised by the NIS in Abuja.

The workshop had the  theme: “Maritime Security in the Context of Counter-Terrorism in the Gulf of Guinea.”

She noted that the strategic gathering reflects the collective commitment of West and Central African nations to jointly tackle a range of maritime threats, including piracy, terrorism, illicit arms flow, human trafficking, stowaways, and migrant smuggling.

 “Mitigating maritime threats in this vital region requires a broad spectrum of initiatives, not limited to international collaboration, but fortifying defence capabilities in the marine domain. The NIS plays a pivotal role in maritime border security while ensuring that foreign terrorist fighters and other criminal elements do not exploit our territorial integrity.

“Passenger facilitation and control of travel documents are the root of all counter-terrorist interventions. We will continue to prioritise cooperation, professionalism, and deployment of cutting-edge technologies in the surveillance and management of our borders.

Nandap emphasised that the NIS plays a crucial role in preventing foreign terrorist fighters and criminal elements from breaching Nigeria’s borders, highlighting the importance of robust passport control and travel document verification as core to counter-terrorism efforts.

“The Nigeria Immigration Service is dedicated to utilising API/PNR for better intelligence sharing and strengthening maritime security through robust visa administration, where applicable.

“We recognise its benefits for air-border security and will expand our Border Management Information System to marine frontiers to counter international threats in the GoG.

“Our threats are transnational, and so must be our response. No agency or government involved in border security and migration management can operate independently.

“The NIS is committed to collaborating with regional and global partners to facilitate safe, orderly, and regular migration at sea without compromising security.

“We will continue to prioritise cooperation, professionalism, and the deployment of cutting-edge technologies in the surveillance and management of our borders,” she said.

She affirmed the NIS’s commitment to regional strategies, such as the African Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050 and ECOWAS’s Gulf of Guinea Strategy, which aim to create a secure maritime environment for the growth of the blue economy and sustainable development.

According to Nandap, the service will strengthen intelligence gathering through the Advanced Passenger Information/Passenger Name Record system and expand the Border Management Information System to marine frontiers.