NIGERIA BLOCKS 332 MIGRANTS AT SEME BORDER OVER IRREGULAR DOCUMENTS
The Federal Government has confirmed that 332 migrants were prevented from entering Nigeria through the Seme border due to irregular documents.
Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, revealed that the migrants were attempting to enter the country but were intercepted by immigration border patrol for lacking valid travel documents.
She disclosed this during a one-day Stakeholders Sensitisation Seminar titled “Evolving Patterns in Smuggling of Migrants: Towards a Coordinated Response,” held yesterday in Abuja.
Emphasizing the critical need for efficient border management, Nandap added that 294 Nigerian nationals suspected of involvement in smuggling activities linked to the “Japa syndrome” were also denied exit across various borders.
This figure comes alongside the rescue of 36 victims of human trafficking and child labour at the same Seme border.
The CG called for a unified and coordinated national strategy to address the evolving patterns of migrant smuggling, describing it as a major threat to the safety and dignity of Nigerians. She highlighted the crime’s growing complexity and transnational nature, urging a multi-sectoral response.
However, the House of Representatives has raised alarms over the security of Nigeria’s borders, warning that 1,894 of the country’s 1,978 entry points remain unmanned and vulnerable to illegal activities.
