BORDERS CLOSED OVER NIGER COUP

The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, says following the situation in Niger Republic, it has deployed personnel to check all the unorthodox roads through which foreigners may likely infiltrate.

Mr. Mustapha Sani, the NIS Comptroller in charge of Jibia command, in Katsina State, disclosed this at a joint celebration with the state’s command to commemorate the service at 60.

Sani said with the current situation, the borders have been closed, and there are restrictions of movement along the areas.

He said, “NIS has deployed its personnel to mount all the unorthodox roads through which some of the foreigners may likely infiltrate.

“You know Katsina and Niger republic. We are a homogeneous society, with the same language, religion and culture, but we have a colonial boundary which we must respect.”

While addressing officers and men of the command, Sani also said the service had been transformed to modern immigration, with Nigerian passports among the best in the world.

Meanwhile, Cameroonian insurgents have made several failed attempts to penetrate Nigeria with firearms.

The Comptroller of Immigration Service in Cross River State, Emmanuel Akinrinsola has disclosed that separatist groups in Southwest region of Cameroon, particularly the Ambazonia Boys, attempted several times to move weapons into or through Nigeria to Cameroon.

Speaking at the headquarters of the NIS in Calabar during the 60^th anniversary celebration of the Service yesterday, Akinrinsola said the move was stalled.

“We have been able to block or stall several attempts by the Ambazonia Boys in southwest Cameroon to move weapons into the country or through our country.

“We are at the borders to stop terrorists and other unscrupulous elements. The separatist movements in Cameroon are always trying to enter Nigeria with arms.

“So, in collaboration with other security agencies in Nigeria, we do stop them. And when they notice that they cannot break through our security at the borders, they would turn back. Such people are prohibited from entering the country under international protocols,” he said.

The CIS boss said there have been a series of reforms in NIS, especially in the last 10 years, which have energized the service to become proactive to security and migration issues.

One of the paper presenters, Superintendent I. O. Umana explained that robust patrol of the borders by NIS personnel had blocked many economic and other types of criminals.

Recall that former governor of the State, Prof Ben Ayade while in office, disclosed that there were over 30 illegal routes from where guns were smuggled through Cross River State.