2027: Immigration vows to block foreign mercenaries, illicit arms

The Nigeria Immigration Service NIS has pledged to tighten surveillance at the nation’s borders ahead of the 2027 general election, as sister security agencies named foreign mercenaries and illicit arms among the threats it must help keep out of the electoral process.

Comptroller General of the Immigration Service, Kemi Nana Nandap, made the pledge on Friday in Abuja at a sensitisation workshop on election security for senior personnel, themed “The strategic role of the NIS in Election Monitoring and intimidation”.

“As we prepare for the 2027 general elections, let us be guided by the common purpose to protect our national security, uphold the rule of law, and contribute to an electoral environment in which every Nigerian can exercise their democratic rights peacefully and without intimidation.”

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Represented by the Deputy Comptroller General DCG in charge of Visa and Residency, Dr Franca Usiwoma Nwanneka, the immigration boss said, “As the agency charged with the mandate of border security and migration management, we occupy a strategic position in the nation’s security architecture. We must therefore remain alert to the influx of foreigners, particularly irregular migration, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, and other transnational criminal activities capable of undermining national security.”

The Comptroller General stressed that the service cannot do this alone. “No single agency can address the complex security challenges confronting our nation in isolation,” the address said, appreciating “the continued partnership” of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC and other security agencies.

Warning the personnel against partisanship, the immigration boss said, “Let us therefore reiterate that the Nigeria Immigration Service remains a non-partisan institution. Under no circumstances should our personnel use official resources to promote partisan interests.

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“You must ensure that our commands are adequately prepared before, during, and after elections through strengthening surveillance, intelligence gathering, effective deployment, and close coordination with relevant security agencies,” she said.

In inter-agency work, the CG said the service’s participation in the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security ICCES must be proactive, purposeful, and result-orientated.

“I expect every senior officer to lead by example and take full responsibility for maintaining professional standards within their respective formats,” she stated.

In his remarks, Director General, Department of State Services DSS, Mr Oluwatosin Ajayi told the gathering that electoral periods attract attempts to exploit the nation’s frontiers for the movement of “illicit arms, mercenaries” and others bent on undermining the democratic process.

Represented by the Deputy Director General, Operations and Intelligence, Mr Patrick Ikenweiwe, the spy chief said, “The Nigerian Immigration Service therefore stands at the first line of national defence, and its vigilance remains indispensable to a peaceful, credible exercise.”

The DSS, he said, remains committed to deeper collaboration with the NIS, “particularly along our land borders and at entry points. No single agency can secure the electoral space alone. Our strength lies in absolute synergy,” he added.

He urged supervisors “to lead by example and to uphold neutrality and professionalism throughout the electoral cycle.”

David Ojelabi, who represented the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Prof. Ahmed Audi, described early preparation as a matter of national security.

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“Elections are the clearest expression of social contracts between citizens and states, and their credibility rests solely on the confidence that that process is secure, orderly, and fair. With the 2027 general elections approaching, early and deliberate preparations are a national security necessity,” he added.

He listed the prevention of foreign interference among the service’s contributions in the electoral cycle, alongside the control of land, air and maritime entry points and the enforcement of immigration law “firmly and without partisanship. Preparedness is more than equipment and numbers,” he said, noting that it is “the ability to accept threats, deploy quickly, and respond lawfully and neutrally.”