2027: Immigration, DSS warn against foreign interference

The Nigeria Immigration Service and the Department of State Services have stepped up preparations to prevent foreign interference in the 2027 general elections, warning that electoral periods could be exploited by foreign elements to smuggle arms and infiltrate the country.

The security agencies said strengthening border surveillance, intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration would be critical to protecting the integrity of the forthcoming elections.

The Comptroller-General of the NIS, Kemi Nandap, stated this on Friday at a sensitisation workshop on the role of the service in election monitoring and management, held at the NIS headquarters in Abuja.

Nandap, represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Visa and Residency, Franca Nwanneka, said the responsibility of ensuring credible elections extended beyond electoral management to providing a peaceful and secure environment.

“Beyond the responsibility of conducting credible elections, there is the equally important task of providing a peaceful and secure environment in which the democratic process can thrive.

“Achieving this requires collective vigilance, effective coordination and the commitment of all institutions entrusted with safeguarding our nation,” she said.

The NIS boss warned that irregular migration, human trafficking, migrant smuggling and other transnational crimes could undermine national security if not properly addressed ahead of the elections.

According to her, the NIS occupies a strategic position in the country’s security architecture because of its responsibility for border security and migration management.

“We must therefore remain alert to the influx of foreigners, emerging threats, particularly irregular migration and smuggling of migrants.

“We must also be on high alert to trafficking in persons and other transnational criminal activities capable of undermining national security,” Nandap said.

She also cautioned officers against using their official positions and resources to participate in partisan politics, stressing that the service remained loyal to the Constitution and the country.

The NIS boss urged officers to maintain political neutrality, discipline and respect for the rule of law before, during and after the elections.

Nandap further directed senior officers, zonal coordinators, comptrollers and heads of formations to strengthen surveillance, intelligence gathering and operational readiness in their respective commands.

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She said collaboration among security agencies was necessary to address threats that individual institutions might be unable to tackle independently.

“No single agency can address the complex security challenges confronting our nation in isolation. Our collective strength lies in our ability to work together, share timely information and respond decisively to emerging threats,” she added.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the DSS, Adeola Ajayi, warned that foreign elements could exploit weaknesses in the country’s borders during the election period to advance activities capable of disrupting the democratic process.

Ajayi, represented by the Deputy Director-General of Operations and Intelligence, Patrick Ikenweiwe, said previous elections had shown the vulnerability of border communities to criminal activities.

“Past experiences have shown that electoral periods attract attempts to exploit gaps in the border for movement of illicit arms, machinery and persons intent on undermining the democratic process.

“The NIS therefore stands as the first line of national defence, and its vigilance remains indispensable to a peaceful and credible exercise,” he said.

He pledged the DSS’s commitment to closer cooperation with the immigration service through intelligence sharing, joint threat assessments and coordinated operations, particularly along land borders and at entry points.

The security agencies’ warning comes amid growing international attention on Nigeria’s preparations for the January 2027 presidential election.

At a recent congressional hearing in the United States, Congressman Riley Moore called for close scrutiny of the forthcoming election, saying Washington should monitor the process closely.

“We need to be watching these presidential elections like a hawk. And I’m gonna be watching them, and we all need to be watching them,” Moore said.

The Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, also warned that the election could trigger violence, citing Nigeria’s security challenges.

Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Riley Barnes, said the US State Department had a dedicated team monitoring elections worldwide and would pay particular attention to Nigeria’s poll.

“I’m glad you raised that. We’re also tracking them closely. We have a team in my bureau that focuses on elections in many spots around the world, especially high-priority ones like this one. So, we’re gonna be watching it very closely as well,” Barnes said.