ECOWAS Free Movement: Nigeria seeks balance between mobility, security

The federal government is seeking to balance the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement with national security concerns by improving the profiling, documentation and monitoring of people crossing its borders.

The Director-General of the National Boundary Commission (NBC), Adamu Adaji, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Mr Adaji said free movement should not prevent authorities from knowing who enters or leaves the country.

He said the ECOWAS Protocol permitted the movement of goods and persons, while border agencies remained responsible for monitoring activities within Nigeria’s territorial limits.

“People who enter and leave should be properly profiled and documented, even though they have the right to free movement,” he said.

According to him, authorities should know the identities of travellers and the reasons for their entry into the country.

He said security agencies operating along border corridors should strengthen monitoring to ensure that legitimate movement does not create opportunities for criminal activities.

Mr Adaji identified terrorism, kidnapping and arms smuggling as among the security-related activities associated with Nigeria’s border areas.

He said illegal routes remained a challenge, urging authorities to identify and profile people using such routes.

The NBC boss called for efforts to reduce, minimise and eventually eliminate illegal crossings through improved surveillance and stronger inter-agency cooperation.

He said Nigeria had promoted a Cross-Border Cooperation Platform to strengthen understanding, information sharing and intelligence exchange with neighbouring countries.

Mr Adaji said the platform was intended to encourage Nigeria and its neighbours to collaborate in securing their respective territories.

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He said effective border management required security agencies to use technology, including surveillance systems and cameras, to monitor difficult areas.

The director-general also emphasised the importance of border communities in detecting and reporting activities that could threaten national security.

He said communities should be supported with necessary infrastructure to encourage their cooperation with authorities and strengthen their sense of belonging.

Mr Adaji said border management should simultaneously support security, trade and lawful migration in line with the ECOWAS framework.

He stressed that clearly defined boundaries would enable security agencies to monitor and manage activities without unnecessarily restricting legitimate cross-border movement.

Mr Adaji stressed that stronger coordination among agencies and neighbouring countries remained essential to achieving that balance.