16th July, 2014
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) said on Wednesday that it would rehabilitate its old aircraft to resume air border patrol to boost efficient border management and policing.
Chukwuemeka Obua, the Public Relations Officer of the service, said this in an interview with NAN in Abuja.
Obua said the repair of the aircraft would also boost security measures being put in place around the borders to check activities and movement of immigrants.
“Two aircraft are currently being worked on to improve the efficiency of the patrol unit of the service in light of security challenges facing the country.
“It is not just our duty to admit foreigners into the country but also monitor their activities to ensure that what they are doing is in consonance with what they claimed they are here to do,” he said.
Obua said the Comptroller-General of the service, David Parradang and Umar Bature, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Interior, have inspected the aircraft at the Kaduna International Airport to assess its condition.
He said the inspection enabled the committee to assess the impediments preventing the service from realising effective border patrol, adding that one of the aircraft was in a state of disrepair.
According to him, the other was in good condition as efforts had been made to make it functional.
He stressed the need for effective border management as insurgents were capitalising on the country’s porous borders to perpetrate their acts.
He said investigations by NIS showed that majority of individuals engaged in acts of prostitution, nude dancing and insurgency in the country were illegal immigrants.
Obua said that due to the trend the service was on daily basis carrying out raids, arrest and prosecution of these immigrants in an effort to improve security.
“We carry out raids in areas where we suspect are being inhabited by illegal immigrants and on daily basis, we arrest and prosecute them,” he said.