The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has announced a collolaboration with traditional rulers in various states to curb transborder crimes across the West African country.

The Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO) Comptroller of Immigration, Mr Tony Akuneme, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Akuneme said that Nigeria had a wide border hence the need to deploy manpower and technology.

He noted that the service had deployed MIDAS technology, saying it was used in monitoring what was going on in the borders.

He stressed that at least MIDAS was powered by foreign countries helping NIS to ensure that the borders were tight and in control.

According to him, NIS has taken a step further to visit traditional rulers in the border communities so as not to engage in transborder crimes.

“We have visited a couple of the Obas (Alake of Egba in Ogun, Shehu of Borno among others) and the idea is to engage the border communities to make them know they have a stake in securing these borders.

” So for me it’s an extra mile, apart from the regular policing of the borders by officers, we have also gone into Public Relations and then enlightenment.

“This is so, just to make sure that people don’t think it’s not their business but that everybody is involved in the issue of securing our borders,” he said.

The functions of the Nigeria Immigration Service are governed by the Immigration Act, 1963, CAP II Laws of the Federation 2004 which include the control of entry into and departure from Nigeria and Monitoring of Non-Nigerians in the country, Implementation of Nigeria’s extant visa regime, Execution of Deportation and repatriation orders, Manning all the nation’s border posts (Land, Sea and Air), Issuance and control of all travel documents, Determination of Refugees and asylum seeker, Implementation of various treaties (bilateral, multilateral) entered into by Nigeria with other countries, Anti-Human Trafficking activities, Border patrol and surveillance, Recommendation of Non-Nigerians requiring citizenship or naturalization to the Minister of Interior.

i-News Nigeria