Japa: Avoid irregular routes, NIS tells students

The Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) has warned Nigerian students against irregular migration, urging them to migrate through the regular routes if they must relocate.

In a rally held at the weekend to mark the Anti-smuggling of Migrants Week in Abuja, personnel of the NIS visited the Government Secondary School (GSS), Airport, Abuja and the University of Abuja to educate students about the ills of irregular migration and migrants smuggling.

The personnel also visited the popular Gosa Market to sensitise traders on why they should counsel their children to avoid being smuggled out of the country.

The Comptroller General of Immigration, Mrs Caroline Adepoju, warned students and traders during the rally not to be deceived by those who might want to lure them into travelling out of the country through irregular routes.

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Adepoju, who was represented by a Chief Superintendent of Immigration (CSI), Mr Innocent Olowu, said NIS decided to bring the message of anti-smuggling of migrants to schools because of the number of youths dying while trying to migrate to Europe through the Sahara desert and Mediterranean sea.

“We are losing lives and the numbers are outrageous and because of this, we thought of a preventive measure by creating awareness about the dangers of irregular migrations.

“The one at schools was directed at the students themselves who will understand what we are talking about, and will also talk to their parents about what they were told.

“We were in the markets to meet the traders so that they would not allow their children to be trafficked or smuggled out of the country.

“Any person that wants to travel out of the country, should go to the NIS office to obtain a passport and seek proper advice. Travelling through the desert and irregular routes is dangerous and should be avoided,” she said.

Adepoju said at the end of the campaign, it was expected that students and youths would make up their minds not to leave the country through unrecognised routes, and borders or with fake documents.