The Federal Government has again, pledged to tackle insecurity occasioned by irregular migration and increasing transnational activities across the international borders of Nigeria.
The government also renewed its commitment to degrade bandits, insurgents and other criminal elements operating along the nation’s borders.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubumi Tunji-Ojo maee the promise while commissioning 30 operational vehicles to boost border surveillance and control at the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, in Abuja.
Tunji-Ojo, who stated that effective patrol and increasing number of security personnel at the nation’s borders will not only check the proliferation of light weapons and contrabands, added that their presence would also cripple the activities of bandits, insurgents and kidnappers.
The Minister said that President Bola Tinubu believes that a porous border would be detrimental to the peace and security of the country, hence, his commitment to providing the right leadership, equipment, welfare and all that is needed to assist the Nigeria Immigration Service in carrying out its mandate diligently and effectively.
He said, “The Nigeria Immigration Service is important to the national security architecture of the country. It is first in a line of support and defence for the national security agenda, particularly from the perspective of making our borders safe and secure.”
While observing that much has been committed to training Immigration officers, the Minister asked them to justify the same, by being professional in all their doings to protect the country from influx and infiltration by irregular migrants while also calling for support for the military in the region.
“The President is happy about your proposal on surveillance and security of our borders. I am also happy because protecting borders and making sure Nigerians can sleep with their eyes closed is a priority of the present administration.
He added that, “Once our borders are protected, internal threats can easily be dealt with, so the time for rhetoric is over. It is time for action. The security and protection of our borders is now. The current insurgency and other security challenges are a wake-up call, and it will soon be over.
“Mr President will never leave the NIS stranded. In terms of support, equipment, welfare, and other facilities that will make your jobs easier, Mr President will be there for you. Therefore, you must do your part and do it diligently and effectively.
“I am not pleading with you to do your part, but I trust you will do it. The NIS is 61 years old, Mr President will not come to do your jobs for you, I will not go to the airports or the borders to do your jobs for you. But I trust you will do your part to make the nation proud,” Tunji-Ojo asserted.
In her remarks, the Comptroller-general of NIS, Mrs Kemi Nandap, described the inauguration of the operational vehicles as “a tangible move to enhance the security and integrity of the nation’s borders in line with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.”
The NIS boss said she was very aware of the imperative role that effective border surveillance and patrol play in safeguarding Nigeria’s sovereignty, protecting its citizens, preserving its economic prosperity as well as facilitating regular, safe, and orderly migration.
She emphasized that the 30 new vehicles represented a concrete investment in the capacity of the Service, saying they would provide officers with the tools needed to carry out their duties.
She said: “The acquisition of these vehicles underscores our unwavering commitment to border security and our determination to stay one step ahead of those who seek to undermine our laws and threaten our safety.
“With enhanced mobility, our border patrol teams will be better equipped to detect and deter illegal activities, including smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons, and other transnational crimes,” the NIS boss said.
She warned the officers against compromise in the course of their duty, reiterating that the service will not tolerate nonchalant attitude and arbitrary abuse of their duty call.
