The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has warned prospective migrants against falling victim to migration fraud, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, urging stakeholders to intensify public awareness of safe and lawful migration pathways.
The Comptroller-General of the NIS, Kemi Nandap, gave the warning on Wednesday in Abuja through the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of the Visa and Residency Directorate, Franca Usiwoma Nwanneka, at a stakeholder sensitisation and engagement seminar.
The seminar was themed, “Bridging the Information Gap: Promoting Informed, Safe and Regular Migration.”
Nandap said decisions based on misinformation, false promises and inadequate knowledge of lawful migration procedures could expose prospective migrants to exploitation and other serious risks.
“While these aspirations are legitimate, decisions based on misinformation, false promises, or limited awareness of safe and lawful migration pathways can expose individuals to serious risks and devastating consequences,” she said.
She identified human trafficking, migrant smuggling, travel fraud and irregular migration as some of the risks associated with inadequate information and intelligence sharing among operational stakeholders.
The comptroller-general said preventing such dangers required more than border control, stressing the need to provide prospective migrants with accurate and timely information to enable them to make informed decisions.
“Preventing these risks requires more than border control. It begins with equipping prospective migrants with accurate, timely, and reliable information to make informed decisions and pursue safe, lawful migration pathways,” she said.
Nandap said the NIS was strengthening its operational capacity through institutional reforms, modern border management technologies, intelligence gathering and improved service delivery.
She cited the deployment of the border control and immigration management system and other technology-driven platforms as part of efforts to improve immigration management.
However, she said technology alone could not address the underlying factors driving irregular migration, calling for stronger public sensitisation, community engagement and cooperation among relevant institutions.
“Migration sensitisation is a shared responsibility that cannot be left to the Nigeria Immigration Service alone,” she said.
She urged government agencies, security institutions, development partners, traditional and community leaders, civil society organisations, educational institutions, transport operators and the media to take practical steps to combat misinformation and promote lawful migration.
“Together, we must ensure that accurate migration information reaches every community, particularly those most vulnerable to exploitation and irregular migration,” she said.
Also speaking, the Senior Programme Associate of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Nnenna Onuoha, reaffirmed the organisation’s partnership with the NIS and called for collective efforts to address irregular migration.
Onuoha, who spoke on behalf of the IOM Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Sharon Dimanche, said the partnership between the two organisations had continued to grow and produce tangible results.
She expressed hope that the seminar would generate practical solutions to encourage regular migration and strengthen migration governance in Nigeria.
Matthew Abi
