President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday directed the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, to improve surveillance and control around the nation’s borders.
He directed the service to ensure that criminals do not find Nigeria as a safe haven to hide and perpetrate their criminality.
The president’s directive came on a day the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Ahmadu Ali (retd), told the House of Representatives that the agency was yet to contain the smuggling of arms into the country because smugglers were protected by people of border communities.
According to a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari gave the directive in his speech at the virtual inauguration of NIS Technology Building.
Adesina quoted the president as instructing all security agencies to raise their performance in protecting lives and property, with a mandate that the country’s Global Security Index must be improved. He promised them his regime would give the needed support for their operations and urged the NIS to collaborate with international security organisations, such as INTERPOL, in safeguarding the borders.
He said: “As a security agency, I charge you to be relentless in carrying out your statutory duties of keeping our borders safe while you ensure that criminal elements don’t find Nigeria as a safe haven to hide and perpetrate their criminality.
“I urge you to actively collaborate with international security organisations like the INTERPOL, in safeguarding our borders. Remember that a safe border is a prerequisite for a safe nation.
The president commended the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, for consistently pushing for the completion of the Technology Building, which will serve as the Command and Control Centre of the NIS, as well as the repository of personal data of Nigerians and expatriates resident in Nigeria.
In his remarks, Aregbesola was qouted as assuring all that the security challenges facing the country were temporary and surmountable.
On his part, the Comptroller General of NIS, Muhammed Babandede, said the Technology Building remained the best project the service had ever initiated and completed since it was established in 1958.
