Following what was suspected to be an alarming rate of illegal and irregular migration, the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammed Babandede on Thursday directed the Comptrollers of 36 states and the FCT to strengthen border control.
They were charged to also intensify public enlightenment campaign against irregular migration, according to the Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Sunday James.
Daily Trust learnt that there has been alarming rate of migration which has been a source of worry to CG Babandede.
A source who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press noted that investigations had shown that many Nigerians especially the youths are being “brainwashed with juicy expectations” to leave the country.
Our correspondent reports that in the last two years over 10,000 Nigerians have been repatriated from Libya after leaving the country with the hope of crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
However, the service spokesman said the Border Patrol Corps have been tasked to intensify patrol along the border flanks “while all officers at lands, sea and air control post are directly to ensure that all persons entering and departing Nigeria do so with a valid document through a recognized port”.
Besides, the service as part of public enlightenment strategy on the danger of irregular migration would be distributing the recently launched document ‘Passport to Safe Migration’ to prospective passport applicants.
Nigeria Immigration Service under the ‘ECOWAS/Spanish Fund on Migration’ produced the document, James added.
“In view of the above and as part of the strategy to educate members of the public on the dangers of Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) and Trafficking in Persons (TIP) across all service windows, the service has directed the public to be educated on the risk of irregular migration as contained in the recently launched document titled, ‘Passport to Safe Migration’.
“The general public is hereby enjoined to partner with the service to educate travelers on the risk involved when they migrate in or out of Nigeria irregularly”, he said.
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