By Favour Nnabugwu

Abuja—INTERIOR Minister, Abba Moro, has charged the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, to collaborate with other security agencies at the nation’s borders to fight insurgency and cross border crimes.

Moro, who gave the charge at the 2014 Comptroller-General’s annual conference and stakeholder’s forum in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the service in Abuja last weekend, urged immigration officers to double their efforts in the fight against crime, insurgency and the spread of Ebola throughout the borders.
“We owe Nigeria and Nigerians the duty of securing our borders in spite of the security challenges the country is facing now.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service has been participating actively in the fight against insurgency in the North East and cross border organised crimes and criminality.

“We have lost some officers in the line of duty but I am pleased to note that in spite of all odds and challenges, our officers and men are fighting on,” he said.
The Minister expressed concern over the unmanned 1,400 illegal border routes in the country, noting that while there were only 84 approved land routes across the over 4,000 square kilometre border, the over 1,400 illegal routes caused serious security implications for the country.

“The un-demarcated and poorly marked borders make settlement of people in border communities intertwined and stringent control by the service apparently difficult,” he added.
He also called for the construction of border plazas, equipped with radars, sensors, cargo and document scanners and modern border patrol aircraft, boats, vehicles and communication gadgets.

The minister noted that through enhanced border patrols, and collaboration with Port Health Officials, the spread of the Ebola virus disease had been curtailed.
The Minister of Interior also informed that the Federal Government planned to recruit 5,000 officers into the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, over the next five years.
He said recruitment was aimed at enabling the service increase the number of officers manning the country’s 4,400 square kilometer borders.

“NIS presently has a total of 22,321 staff and the enormous statutory obligations of the NIS coupled with emerging migration trends and trajectories make this number of personnel grossly inadequate.
He said due to the extensive responsibilities of the service, the ministry was committed to supporting it towards being a world class migration management organisation in