The federal government has reiterated its commitment to tackling insecurity occasioned by irregular migration and increasing transnational activities across Nigeria’s international borders.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, Afonja Ajibola, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, the permanent secretary of the ministry, Shuaib Belgore, disclosed this in Lagos while delivering a speech at the third edition of the International Security Management Course at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA).

Mr Belgore said the ministry, through the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), has evolved new ways to improve border control, management, monitoring and protection.

The permanent secretary added that such innovations would help confront 21st century evolving challenges that continued to threaten Nigeria’s internal security.

“The importance of border security cannot be overemphasised in view of the rate and significance of transnational crimes. Indeed, this is of global significance due to globalisation and increasing travel.

“Accordingly, there has been an increase in transnational crimes from irregular migration to trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, financial crimes, drug-related offences and transportation of illegal weapons, among others.”

He blamed the illicit movement of arms and persons and the use of borders as escape routes by criminal elements as reasons for heightened insecurity in the country.

The permanent secretary, however, assured Nigerians that recent innovations would help checkmate crimes in collaboration with Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

He attributed the lingering border-induced criminalities to situations where many African states share people with the same ancestry and are separated into different countries.

This development, he said, usually leads to aiding irregular migration by some elements who hide under the guise to export crimes.

The course would allow participants the opportunity to scrutinise the security challenges associated with cross-border mobility in Africa and within sub-region due to the ECOWAS protocol.

The protocol conferred certain rights to all citizens of ECOWAS member states, and also analysed the cultural and geographic landscape of the borders. 

(NAN)