Emeka Ibemere
What started as a discussion later turned out to be a hot debate of sort among the stakeholders who gathered at a ‘Summit on Mobility and Security in West Africa’ organized by CLEEN Foundation recently in Lagos.
Stakeholders at the summit which include
; representatives of Economic Community of West African States (COWAS),
M edia, Researchers, Civil Society Groups, Non-Governmental Organisations and
others, who have a stake at the ECOWAS borders, brainstorm on finding solutions
to difficulties experienced by migrants and immigrants, including travelers
across the region.
The summit was based on ‘The Project on Mobility and Security Challenges in West Africa’, a research and advocacy project aimed at studying trends in migration and security management in seven identified borders in West Africa painstakingly taken by CLEEN Foundation.
In her opening remarks, Kemi Okenyodo, Executive Director, CLEEN Foundation, described migration as a leading development challenge facing the world today, adding that the whole world is considered to be in motion with massive population movements both within the regions and also across the regions of the world. “Some forms of migration are conspicuous-the world cannot fail to notice the unprecedented and often suicidal movements of persons from sub-Saharan Africa towards the developed regions of the world.
The summit was based on ‘The Project on Mobility and Security Challenges in West Africa’, a research and advocacy project aimed at studying trends in migration and security management in seven identified borders in West Africa painstakingly taken by CLEEN Foundation.
In her opening remarks, Kemi Okenyodo, Executive Director, CLEEN Foundation, described migration as a leading development challenge facing the world today, adding that the whole world is considered to be in motion with massive population movements both within the regions and also across the regions of the world. “Some forms of migration are conspicuous-the world cannot fail to notice the unprecedented and often suicidal movements of persons from sub-Saharan Africa towards the developed regions of the world.
“On the other hand, the
interconnectedness of some communities across national borders means that
crossing international borders is no more complicated than a casual stroll down
the street”.
She identified migration as an important security factor for three important reasons which include; international migration exposes travelers to an array of specific security challenges which they would not have otherwise faced in their places or regular abode, communities are exposed to different security risk factors occasioned by the flow of migrants within a given territory and the intersection between migrants and locals are sometimes accompanied by crimes and criminality. “Beyond these and other challenges of migration, the world as we know it today, depends on migration to achieve the interspersing of cultures, goods, services and peoples,” Okenyodo explained.
According to her, beyond the historic legacies of migration, ECOWAS devoted much of her 40 years of existence as a regional force, to promote free movement of persons and goods across national boundaries in West Africa.
CLEEN Foundation Executive Director regretted that despite the efforts of the regional organisation, the framework provided by ECOWAS has not been fully utilized as regional travel remains plagued by numerous challenges.
She identified migration as an important security factor for three important reasons which include; international migration exposes travelers to an array of specific security challenges which they would not have otherwise faced in their places or regular abode, communities are exposed to different security risk factors occasioned by the flow of migrants within a given territory and the intersection between migrants and locals are sometimes accompanied by crimes and criminality. “Beyond these and other challenges of migration, the world as we know it today, depends on migration to achieve the interspersing of cultures, goods, services and peoples,” Okenyodo explained.
According to her, beyond the historic legacies of migration, ECOWAS devoted much of her 40 years of existence as a regional force, to promote free movement of persons and goods across national boundaries in West Africa.
CLEEN Foundation Executive Director regretted that despite the efforts of the regional organisation, the framework provided by ECOWAS has not been fully utilized as regional travel remains plagued by numerous challenges.
“Between 2013 and 2014, we conducted
interviews in seven international borders in the region. In the first instance,
we followed the migration route cutting across Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana
and then explored the corridors between landlocked Mali and Burkina-Faso with
Cote d’Ivoire”.
“We are here today to share the findings of our research with the hope that it would stimulate reflections and discussions on the important topic of migration in our region. We hope that the discussion here will benefit from the different discussions going on in your organisation and networks and also that the conclusions from here will go on to enrich future discussions”, she noted.
Mohammed Nuruddeen, Deputy Comptroller of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Seme border Command explained that the issue of migration is of economic, political, cultural and social importance.
“We are here today to share the findings of our research with the hope that it would stimulate reflections and discussions on the important topic of migration in our region. We hope that the discussion here will benefit from the different discussions going on in your organisation and networks and also that the conclusions from here will go on to enrich future discussions”, she noted.
Mohammed Nuruddeen, Deputy Comptroller of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Seme border Command explained that the issue of migration is of economic, political, cultural and social importance.
According to him, when the economic
situation is hard in a particular
country, citizens of that country would start moving away from that country to
another country, where they think they could get greener pasture.
“And look at what is happening now; African youths are moving to Western Europe, between Libya and Sicily, a lot of people are moving towards Italy and many lives have been lost in the process of leaving the African continent where life is hard”, Nuruddeen explained.
“And look at what is happening now; African youths are moving to Western Europe, between Libya and Sicily, a lot of people are moving towards Italy and many lives have been lost in the process of leaving the African continent where life is hard”, Nuruddeen explained.
“The other reason is political and
due to political persecutions against one tribe, cultural and social reason
also helps in influx of migrants”.
He said the mobility in migration occurred by vehicles, bicycles, and motorbikes and even trekking and added that on security, NIS is mandated to handle immigration problems at the borders and said there are other security agencies at the border, but that their duty is on issuance of travelling documents, visa and patrolling the borders. “What we do is to check the documentation of the person travelling out or coming in for documentation of his movement. We see that before somebody is giving visa, certainly the person has to be monitored before, during and after his trip”.
NIS boss said when at the entry point, a form is giving to the traveler, interview is conducted before visa is issued out to the person, and it’s the duty of the NIS to monitor and probe the person very well, by identifying if the person’s visa is fake or genuine, if the person is giving permit to enter the country, they also monitor the person because they don’t give free hand to person in a country and that is why they have their Intelligence, Inspectorate and Enforcement, agencies”.
He further revealed that this group move on mufti and monitor the expatriates in Nigeria and find out what they do in the country. According to him, there are other agencies at the border, whose duty is on ensure security at the border.
He said the mobility in migration occurred by vehicles, bicycles, and motorbikes and even trekking and added that on security, NIS is mandated to handle immigration problems at the borders and said there are other security agencies at the border, but that their duty is on issuance of travelling documents, visa and patrolling the borders. “What we do is to check the documentation of the person travelling out or coming in for documentation of his movement. We see that before somebody is giving visa, certainly the person has to be monitored before, during and after his trip”.
NIS boss said when at the entry point, a form is giving to the traveler, interview is conducted before visa is issued out to the person, and it’s the duty of the NIS to monitor and probe the person very well, by identifying if the person’s visa is fake or genuine, if the person is giving permit to enter the country, they also monitor the person because they don’t give free hand to person in a country and that is why they have their Intelligence, Inspectorate and Enforcement, agencies”.
He further revealed that this group move on mufti and monitor the expatriates in Nigeria and find out what they do in the country. According to him, there are other agencies at the border, whose duty is on ensure security at the border.
He said the Department of State
Security DSS, Police, Bomb Disposal Unit, NDLEA, Custom Service, and others are
responsible for security at the border.
“Security at the border means free from danger and normally NIS are the first agency to be seen why entering into a country and the last agency while leaving a country”, he added.
“The issue of border corps is being giving attention by the Nigerian government, where officers responsible for monitoring people entering the country are monitored”. He said at the Seme, if you beat the NIS official; there is another border corps, one in charge of control post and the other in charge of border corps.
To him, it is the duty of the NIS to see that illegal immigrants are checked, arrested and repatriated.
Nuruddeen also explained that deportation has to be done through the court while repatriation is an immediate action by the NIS, because you don’t need to seek any court approval”.
Abena Telley Abioye, whose research covered the Ghana-Togo borders, who also claimed to be a migrant herself, but married a Nigerian, reports that at Afawo border, between Togo and Ghana, there were challenges crossing the borders.
Abioye identified difficulties encountered by travelers and border users to include; languages, bribery, harassments, intimidation, and touting.
To her , once nationality makes it easier for such individual to pass through the border.
“Security at the border means free from danger and normally NIS are the first agency to be seen why entering into a country and the last agency while leaving a country”, he added.
“The issue of border corps is being giving attention by the Nigerian government, where officers responsible for monitoring people entering the country are monitored”. He said at the Seme, if you beat the NIS official; there is another border corps, one in charge of control post and the other in charge of border corps.
To him, it is the duty of the NIS to see that illegal immigrants are checked, arrested and repatriated.
Nuruddeen also explained that deportation has to be done through the court while repatriation is an immediate action by the NIS, because you don’t need to seek any court approval”.
Abena Telley Abioye, whose research covered the Ghana-Togo borders, who also claimed to be a migrant herself, but married a Nigerian, reports that at Afawo border, between Togo and Ghana, there were challenges crossing the borders.
Abioye identified difficulties encountered by travelers and border users to include; languages, bribery, harassments, intimidation, and touting.
To her , once nationality makes it easier for such individual to pass through the border.
She said there are various security
agencies at the both borders ranging from Customs services, police Gendarmes,
and help workers. According to Abioye, people are killed at the border and at
times corpses litter the borders while some are duped into the sea and that usually
occur at night. She further noted that
sexual harassment are rampant from the security agencies as they make advances
to women.
She said all manner of activities go on at the borders which include; currency trafficking, bribery, theft, assaults, child labour, death threats, and mass movement of traders from Ghana into Togo than otherwise.
Kamara DMylone Epse Soro, who covered the Mali-Cote d I’vore borders, also said the challenges are too many and points language as one of the barriers in crossing the borders. She stated that the two countries share common border, language, culture, marriage, social and religious resemblance. She said it’s easy to cross the borders among them than Anglo speaking travelers. According to her, illegal routes also exist and that majority of the travelers make use of bicycles, motorbikes and cars. She revealed that security breaches exist at the borders where officials do not understand border lines. “Boundary lines always crop up troubles among the security agents with the two countries. “Nationality or where you come from plays important role in easy crossing of the borders as each country try to protect their citizens”, Kamara stated. “There are no cordial relationships with the other country security agents and they don’t call each other.”
Ogunyemi Olusegun Samson, another researcher who investigated the Nigeria-Benin border, added that Seme border is not an organised border as things are turned unofficially right. According to him, harassment of travelers are too high at Seme border and on your way to Seme, too many checkpoints exist with all manner of security agencies doing double checks and cross-checking.
In all stakeholders observed that there are operational lapses and proliferation of checkpoints. They also pointed out that there are corruptions and bribery, harassment, crime and victimization, robbery, road accidents, demand for money to cross the border and other challenges hampering the ECOWAS free movement protocol order.
Also, the participants expressed that there are administrative lapses, presence of unofficial agents at the borders, like the police doing the work of the NIS, and Customs service doing the duty of police among others.
She said all manner of activities go on at the borders which include; currency trafficking, bribery, theft, assaults, child labour, death threats, and mass movement of traders from Ghana into Togo than otherwise.
Kamara DMylone Epse Soro, who covered the Mali-Cote d I’vore borders, also said the challenges are too many and points language as one of the barriers in crossing the borders. She stated that the two countries share common border, language, culture, marriage, social and religious resemblance. She said it’s easy to cross the borders among them than Anglo speaking travelers. According to her, illegal routes also exist and that majority of the travelers make use of bicycles, motorbikes and cars. She revealed that security breaches exist at the borders where officials do not understand border lines. “Boundary lines always crop up troubles among the security agents with the two countries. “Nationality or where you come from plays important role in easy crossing of the borders as each country try to protect their citizens”, Kamara stated. “There are no cordial relationships with the other country security agents and they don’t call each other.”
Ogunyemi Olusegun Samson, another researcher who investigated the Nigeria-Benin border, added that Seme border is not an organised border as things are turned unofficially right. According to him, harassment of travelers are too high at Seme border and on your way to Seme, too many checkpoints exist with all manner of security agencies doing double checks and cross-checking.
In all stakeholders observed that there are operational lapses and proliferation of checkpoints. They also pointed out that there are corruptions and bribery, harassment, crime and victimization, robbery, road accidents, demand for money to cross the border and other challenges hampering the ECOWAS free movement protocol order.
Also, the participants expressed that there are administrative lapses, presence of unofficial agents at the borders, like the police doing the work of the NIS, and Customs service doing the duty of police among others.
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