NIS URGES PUBLIC AWARENESS TO PREVENT TRAFFICKING, MIGRANT SMUGGLING
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By ‘Balogun Ibrahim
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, has warned that even the most advanced border management systems cannot independently tackle the underlying causes of irregular migration.
She called on traditional rulers, security agencies, the media and members of the public to support efforts to promote safe, informed and lawful migration.
Nandap made the remarks on Wednesday at the opening of a stakeholders’ sensitisation and engagement seminar at the NIS headquarters in Abuja. The event was themed, “Bridging the Information Gap: Promoting Informed, Safe and Regular Migration.”
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In an address delivered on her behalf by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of the Visa and Residency Directorate, Franca Nwanneka, the NIS chief stressed that providing accurate information was as crucial as border control in protecting Nigerians from human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
She explained that prospective migrants needed timely and reliable information to make informed decisions and access safe, legal migration channels.
Nandap said the Service was strengthening its operational capacity through institutional reforms, modern border technologies, improved intelligence gathering and enhanced service delivery.
She cited the recent deployment of a border control and immigration management system as part of efforts to establish a modern, responsive and intelligence-driven service.
However, she acknowledged that technological advancements alone could not address the factors driving irregular migration, noting that people often migrate in search of education, employment, security and better opportunities.
While describing these aspirations as legitimate, she warned that decisions influenced by misinformation, false promises and inadequate knowledge of legal migration procedures could expose individuals to exploitation and other serious dangers.
According to her, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, travel fraud and irregular migration underscore the need for improved information sharing and intelligence coordination among relevant stakeholders.
The Comptroller-General emphasised that public sensitisation, community engagement and inter-agency cooperation must remain central to the Service’s efforts.
She maintained that promoting safe migration was a collective responsibility that should not be left to the NIS alone.
Nandap therefore urged government agencies, security institutions, development partners, traditional and community leaders, civil society organisations, educational institutions, transport operators and the media to move beyond discussions and implement coordinated measures to combat misinformation.
She stressed the importance of ensuring that reliable migration information reached all communities, particularly those most vulnerable to exploitation and irregular migration.
Also speaking at the seminar, the Senior Programme Associate at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Nnenna Onuoha, who represented the organisation’s Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Sharon Dimanche, said the partnership between the IOM and the NIS had strengthened over time and delivered tangible results.
The seminar attracted representatives of security and law enforcement agencies, regional and international organisations, border management institutions, civil society groups, academic institutions and the media.
The development comes after Nandap and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, recently announced the integration of more than 15 million migration records into a single platform.
The NIS Border Management Information System was linked with the Migration Information and Data Analysis System, with artificial intelligence-assisted tools expected to identify suspicious travel patterns.
Nandap had also disclosed that the system uses airline passenger information to profile travellers before their arrival, while more than 30 control posts in northern Nigeria register migrants entering the country through land borders.
In March, Tunji-Ojo ordered a nationwide crackdown on individuals residing in Nigeria without valid immigration documents and announced plans for an artificial intelligence-driven system to track travellers who had entered the country over the previous decade.
Meanwhile, the United States Department of State, in its 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report published on October 11, retained Nigeria on the Tier 2 watch-free category, indicating that the country had not fully met the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking but was making significant efforts to do so.
The report documented 1,341 trafficking investigations and 2,004 identified victims, while noting that 428 Nigerian victims exploited abroad had been repatriated.
It also stated that no government official implicated in trafficking offences had been prosecuted, contrasting with the 2025 report, which recorded the prosecution of an Immigration Service official.
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