•Nigeria Immigration Service officials during parade
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, has disclosed that the agency is intensifying efforts to fortify Nigeria’s borders, particularly maritime frontiers, to combat terrorism, piracy, and other transnational crimes.
Nandap made this known yesterday at the opening ceremony of a Regional Workshop on Maritime Border Security, organised by the NIS in Abuja, reports The PUNCH.
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.
“Our threats are transnational, and so must be our response. No agency or government involved in border security can operate in isolation. We are committed to regional and global collaboration to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration at sea without compromising security,” she stated.
She also highlighted the persistent maritime threats along the Atlantic coast of the Gulf of Guinea, especially near Nigeria, which is notorious for piracy, illegal oil bunkering, armed robbery at sea, and other crimes that threaten vessel and crew safety, destabilise the region, and hinder economic growth.
“This workshop reinforces our collective determination to address these challenges through sound policies, capacity building, community engagement, and regional partnerships,” Nandap said.
She added that the Gulf of Guinea, which spans countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, and Ghana, is vital to the global energy sector due to its rich offshore oil and gas reserves. Its broader economic potential also aligns with Agenda 2063 and the African Integrated Maritime Strategy for sustainable development across the continent.
In his remarks while declaring the workshop open, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, commended the NIS for taking the lead in reviewing Nigeria’s border security strategy.
He underscored the importance of border control in ensuring the nation’s safety and affirmed the federal government’s readiness to make tough decisions to secure the country’s territorial integrity.
The event drew participation from security and intelligence officials from across Africa and beyond, including Italy, Germany, Britain, Denmark, the Philippines, Mauritius, Cameroon, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin Republic, Togo, Sierra Leone, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
