March-April Polls: how ready is the Nigerian Immigration Service

Emeka Ibemere

Despite the closure of the Nigerian boarders during elections in Nigeria over the years, illegal immigrants still finds their ways into the country during elections by being involved in the voting process.

The acclaimed readiness of the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, to safeguard the nations’ boarders during the 2015 general elections isn’t satisfying when compared to the number of Nigeriens, Chadians, Togolese, and Benin Republic nationals who have been arrested and deported throughout the six geo-political zones of the country ahead of the re-scheduled elections.

This is why it’s pertinent for the NIS, to be serious ahead of March and April elections in scrutinising those coming into the country and those already here without valid papers; so as to caution against insecurity in the land, avoid rigging and violence after the election considering the volatile nature of this year’s election.

Recently, Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, spoke in Abuja concerning closing borders during polls if occasion calls for it. According to Moro, the NIS has the capacity to make Nigerian boarders safe during the elections. But what it’s lacking is the political will to act because of the nature of the boarders.

NIS has the responsibility of maintaining security and peace at the boarders especially on election days, by ensuring that on election days, all roads in and out of Nigeria are closed especially within the periods of the elections.

These have been the practice over the election years, which they have done on many occasions successfully. According to Moro, the recent local government election in Katsina for instance, was successful after approval was granted for Nigerian borders with Niger republic around Katsina State to be closed.

“And the conclusions that we had from those elections were those of peaceful and stable elections within the period”, Moro stated.

Moro revealed that because of the enormity of the challenges of illegal entry into Nigeria and the need and desire to secure the nation’s borders, the Nigerian Immigration Service introduced the Border Patrol Corps within the service and so far about 2,000 of such officers and men of the Nigerian Immigration Service have been so trained and posted to the various border posts in Nigeria.

“For us in the Ministry of Interior, in spite of the challenges of internal insecurity, in spite of the challenges of funding which has not been adequate enough to do what we want to do understandably, we have been able to place our hands on some modest achievements”.

“So, I think that we on our part can adequately contribute our quota towards ensuring peace towards the general elections and if all parties conduct themselves properly and discharge their responsibilities, this election will come as peacefully as it has ever been in Nigeria”, he explained.

“As you would recall, during the elections, we shut the borders as the need arises, and I can assure you that if the need arises for us to close the borders during the general elections, we will so do, just as it is done in other climes”.

But investigations carried out by our correspondent showed that NIS is seriously facing big challenges in the war against illegal aliens in the country. There are over 300 illegal routes that exist between Nigerian and Benin Republic boarders, South West Nigeria.

 A staff of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at Seme boarder, who refused to disclose his name, said there are many illegal routes through which these people troop to Nigeria on daily basis.  Checks also show that the aliens always bribe themselves into Nigeria. Newswatch Times understands that the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) Free Movement protocol was a big challenge to NIS in tracking down the aliens.

Our NDLEA staff source also claimed that even as much as ECOWAS guarantees free movement of persons and free trade within the sub-region, the protocol does not say such persons should not have genuine travel documents.

The porous Nigerian borders is said to be extensive and expansive boundaries. It was gathered that Nigeria had 84 regular borders and over 1.4 irregular routes to the country.

Moro had claimed that policing this huge number of entry points when the service has only 22,000 workforces is a herculean task.

It’s a common scene to see NIS officials on routine duties arresting motorcycle operators at FESTAC Town, Ajao Estate and other parts of Lagos State on allegations of being aliens but releases them after collecting money from them.

“Before the election, the NIS should come to terms in handling the problems of these aliens. There should be a control and border patrol management and make sure that they placed restrictions on movements without valid papers,” another NDLEA officer at Seme boarder quipped.

Recently, the Kaduna State Comptroller of Immigration, Nuhu Akpan, reported that 106 illegal immigrants were arrested in Kaduna.

Mr. Akpan, while parading the illegal immigrants said that the suspects were arrested after the postponement of the February general elections. “Nigerian government is not against foreigners, but it is only against those foreigners who enter the country without proper entry requirements,” Mr Akpan said.

He called on those wishing to come to Nigeria to follow due process. As that wasn’t enough, 36 illegal immigrants were also reportedly deported by operatives of Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS), Edo State Command ahead of the next month’s general elections.

Speaking on the deportation exercise, the Comptroller of Immigration in Edo state, Alana Olusegun, said the illegal immigrants were deported in order to prevent them from participating in the postponed general elections. Olusegun, who supervised the screening exercise for the deportation of the illegal immigrants, added ‎ that the mop up was to ensure that non-Nigerians did not participate in the electoral process.

He opined that officials of the command have been placed on red alert across the state to stop immigrants from voting during elections. Meanwhile it was gathered that about 300 immigrants were arrested by the immigration command during a mop up exercise. Some of the deportees alleged that they were given fake papers to enter the country, while those who showed genuine documents were allowed to go but were warned against obtaining the Permanent Voters Card or used as political thugs.  Also in Jigawa State, similar deportation took place. The NIS Jigawa command said they arrested and repatriated 430 illegal immigrants in Jigawa State between January and November 2014.

 The service also said its personnel seized temporary and permanent Nigerian voter cards from nationals of Niger who entered Nigeria illegally. The Comptroller of the NIS in the Jigawa State, Isa Jere, said the aliens were from Niger and one from Mali. Mr. Jere said 90 percent of the arrested immigrants were from Niger Republic while others were from Cameroun, Chad and Mali.

According to him, the service has intensified its mop-up operation to get rid of illegal immigrants in the state before the commencement of the 2015 general elections.

“We are committed to repatriating illegal immigrants in our midst because they don’t have right or have any business to participate in our elections,” he said. The comptroller also said that the state’s command had seized 20 voters’ cards from Nigerien immigrants.

According to him, 11 out of the 20 were permanent voters’ cards while the remaining were temporary ones. The NIS chief said that his officers and men were vigilant to prevent foreigners from participating in the forthcoming general elections.

From the South-South zone of the country, comes a report that the Cross River State Command of the NIS also arrested 40 immigrants for entering the country without valid travel documents. It was gathered that immigrants were from neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroon and Senegal. The state immigration comptroller Funke Adeuyi stated that the arrests were part of a broader effort to by Nigeria’s government to expel undocumented immigrants from the country.

Also in the crackdown against the aliens, the Osun State Command of the NIS apprehended some illegal immigrants in the State. While parading the illegal immigrants, the Osun State Comptroller of NIS, Mr. Chris Onunwor, said those apprehended would not be deported, but those who want to stay in the country must have their complete documents.

He said the NIS would ensure that other nationals in the country would be made to have proper documentation if they want to continue to stay in the country.

“We know that there are nationals of other countries living in Nigeria and most of them are doing legitimate business but some came in through illegal routes. So we are carrying out mop up exercise all over the country to ensure that aliens do not participate in the forthcoming elections”, he stated.

“They don’t have the right to participate in elections in Nigeria either by voting or by being used by some unscrupulous politicians to cause violence. We are working to ensure that the nationals of other countries do not participate in our elections. We want them to have proper documentation and with this we will be able to monitor their movement and activities. We are also calling on those harbouring these illegal immigrants to bring them out for proper documentation”. Onunwor appealed to residents of the State to help the Command with useful information that would help identify illegal immigrants around their area.

He further noted that some of the foreigner’s fomenting trouble in the country had good intentions on entering the country, but were wrongly influenced by some bad groups they made contact with

Earlier this year, the Akwa Ibom state Command of the NIS equally repatriated 460 illegal migrants.

Reports say Illegal immigration in Nigeria is a serious business by our security agencies that are alleged to be fuelling the cartel and smiling to the banks. In the recent times ahead 2015 election, the border has become quite porous despite Government’s huge financial sum to protect the borders.

There are 1,497 illegal migration points to enter Nigeria.  Checks revealed that Niger is the biggest group of illegal immigrants to Nigeria. Recently, the Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Immigration service said that the largest numbers of illegal immigrants in Nigeria are from Niger Republic. This was revealed just as the service deported eight Filipinos working in a multinational company without a valid visa. It was also reported that since the arrest of a Chadian on the grounds of terrorism in Lagos, security agencies in the State have increased the clampdown on illegal immigrants.

It would be recalled that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), was carved out of the Nigeria police Force in 1958. The Immigration Department, as it was known then, was entrusted with the core immigration duties under the headship of the chief Federal Immigration officer. During this period, only the visa and Business Sections were set up. However, on August 1, 1963, Immigration Department was formally established by an Act of Parliament (cap 171, Laws of the Federation Nigeria). At that point, its operations and control were moved from the Nigeria Police to the Federal Ministry of internal Affairs. Since then, the functions and responsibilities of the NIS have been expanded to include introduction of the ECOWAS and African affairs/bilateral division; aliens control and border patrol management; and the issuance of all Nigerian travel documents.

Illegal immigrants in Nigeria have literarily made Nigeria a destination point where foreigners come with ease with or without valid documentations. Donatus Okoh, an importer and a trader at Idumota Market Lagos Island said he supports government action in their effort to rid the aliens out of Nigeria, adding that they use to be treated badly in other countries of the world. He said the language similarity between the Hausa speaking Nigerians and Nigerian neighbours seems to be making it difficult to know these aliens.

“They speak Hausa in Benin Republic, Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Senegal, Mali and others. Even Togo and Benin here, speak Yoruba languages and they look alike with our Nigerian people and these are the challenges, NIS may face in identifying them and for the deportation, I support them,” Okoh said.  

In recent weeks, Nigerian authorities are carrying out a massive crackdown against illegal immigrants crossing the borders. The crackdown is unconnected with the country’s upcoming general election in March and April. Officials of the government have said the crackdown is part of a campaign to ensure that foreigners do not participate in the March 28 ballot and April 11.

NIS has claimed that 57 temporary voters’ cards and 367 old national identity cards were also recovered by immigration authorities in northern Sokoto, Jigawa and Zamfara states.