Abuja: The Federal Government has pledged to further strengthen Nigeria’s intelligence architecture and border security framework to dismantle organized human smuggling syndicates exploiting vulnerable migrants.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mrs. Kemi Nandap, announced this commitment during the inauguration of the 2025 Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Week in Abuja. Represented by the Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Works and Logistics, Mrs. Ada James Umanah, Nandap highlighted the government’s multi-layered response to emerging migrant smuggling trends that threaten human life and national security.
Nandap reaffirmed the NIS’s commitment to enhancing border security and intelligence capabilities, dismantling smuggling networks, prosecuting offenders, and protecting vulnerable migrants, particularly women and children. She emphasized the importance of strengthening domestic and international collaborations to uphold the dignity and human rights of migrants, regardless of their status.
As a country of origin, transit, and destination for migrants, Nigeria cannot ignore the increasing sophistication of smuggling networks, which now heavily rely on digital platforms, encrypted communications, falsified documents, and transnational criminal collaborations. Nandap warned that migrants face grave dangers, including trafficking, extortion, sexual exploitation, violence, and death, particularly along irregular desert and sea routes.
Nandap highlighted that the activities of smugglers threaten border integrity, public safety, and internal security. With the support of the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the NIS has adopted a technology-driven and intelligence-led strategy to combat these threats. The service has enhanced surveillance across land, sea, and air borders through a Command and Control Centre, the Migration Information and Data Analysis System, Advanced Passenger Information Systems, Passenger Name Records, e-gates at international airports, and Huawei-powered e-border solutions at over 144 border locations nationwide.
Nigeria continues to deepen cooperation with regional and international partners, including ECOWAS, the African Union, the International Organisation for Migration, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. These collaborations aim to enhance capacity building, intelligence sharing, joint investigations, and safe return programs, while bilateral agreements with transit and destination countries have improved early warning systems and cross-border law enforcement.
Public sensitization efforts have been scaled up to counter false narratives used by smugglers to lure young Nigerians. Over 579,000 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have been sensitized this year alone, in addition to outreach efforts in border communities, schools, transport unions, and youth associations nationwide. These campaigns focus on exposing digital recruitment tactics, fake job offers abroad, and the importance of safe, orderly, and regular migration channels.
The NIS chief emphasized that combating migrant smuggling requires collective responsibility and called on families, communities, traditional institutions, civil society, the media, and development partners to work together to protect vulnerable populations and secure Nigeria’s borders against criminal exploitation.
Earlier, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of the Migration Directorate, Mrs. Ngozi Odikpo, described the weeklong activities as an opportunity to reinforce national and global commitment to safe migration. She noted that the Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Week would culminate on December 18, coinciding with International Migrants Day. Odikpo expressed appreciation to international partners for their technical support and capacity-building interventions, affirming the NIS’s dedication to sustaining strong partnerships for safe, orderly, and regular migration, border security, and national development.