Abimbola Abatta
Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has pledged to support Osun State government in its effort to end the influx of criminals, irregular migration and illegal mining in the State.
NIS also restated its commitment to partnering the State to secure its borders by engaging in adequate screening of all immigrants who may wish to either travel out or come into the State so as to safeguard the State from encroachment.
The assurances were given by the Assistant Comptroller General and Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘F’ of Nigeria Immigration Service, comprising Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States, Mrs. Dora Amahian, during a courtesy visit to the State Governor.
Amahian said: “Your Excellency, recent events in the country have shown that security is no longer a child’s play as it is not an exclusive preserve of any group or individual. Rather, it is inclusive of all and sundry. Therefore, as an arm of the nation’s security architecture and first line security agency, we are soliciting for your Excellency’s continuous partnership in facilitating our efforts at ensuring a secured and peaceful State.
“One of the measures adapted by the Service is the E-registration of all Immigrants in the State. It is a well known fact that indigenes of Osun travel a lot, especially to some ECOWAS countries e.g Cote d’ivoire. Notable among them are the people of Ejigbo, Iwo and Ede Local Government Areas.
“The long-time relationship between our people and the citizens of Ghana and Cote d’ivoire has resulted in the influx of these nationals into the aforementioned Local Government Areas. Consequently, Immigration presence in these Local Government Areas is compulsory, mainly to control and cater for their needs in order to ensure that they are residing in Nigeria according to the extant rules and regulations of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
“In an effort to stem the worrisome trend of irregular migration of Nigerians outside the country, the Comptroller-General of Immigration initiated a documentary ‘the missing link’ to illustrate the dangers of irregular and unsafe migration. This is with a view to enlightening members of the public to avoid them becoming victims of human trafficking.
“To this end, your assistance is hereby sought in issuing a directive to air the documentary in the State media outfit and distribute CD’s to the secondary and tertiary institutions in the State.
“To achieve effective control of foreigners in the State, the Zonal Office is contemplating establishing a monitoring unit that will complement the efforts of our officers in the State.”
In his remarks, Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, called for a robust and workable modality capable of strengthening the bond of collaboration and partnership among the security agencies.
Oyetola who lamented over the increased rate of influx of criminals, particularly illegal miners in the State, sought for continued security support to end the menace.
