Kemi Nandap, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), has warned that the growing sophistication of migrant smuggling networks poses serious threats to human lives, national security and border integrity, as Nigeria intensifies efforts to combat irregular migration and transnational crime.
Nandap spoke on Monday in Abuja during the Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Week organised by the NIS to commemorate the 2025 International Migrants Day.
The event was held at the Muhammadu Babandede Hall, Service Headquarters, and brought together government officials, development partners, security agencies and civil society actors.
In her address, the Comptroller-General said the global observance provided an opportunity for reflection on the realities of human mobility, noting that while migration offers opportunities, it also presents grave challenges when driven by criminal exploitation.
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“This year’s theme, ‘Smuggling of Migrants: Emerging Trends, Realities and National Response,’ speaks directly to the pressing issues confronting Nigeria, West Africa and the world at large.
“It challenges us not only to acknowledge the evolving dynamics of irregular migration but to strengthen our resolve in dismantling the criminal networks that prey on vulnerable individuals in search of hope”, she said.
Nandap expressed concern over the rise of organised migrant smuggling syndicates, highlighting the increasing use of digital platforms for recruitment and deception, as well as the expansion of complex transnational routes.
According to her, migrants are now exposed to heightened dangers, including trafficking, extortion, sexual exploitation, violence and death, as they attempt perilous journeys across deserts and seas.
She noted that smugglers have become more sophisticated in their operations, deploying encrypted messaging applications, falsifying travel documents, coaching migrants on evasion tactics and collaborating with other criminal groups across borders.
“As a key country of origin, transit and destination, Nigeria cannot ignore these developments.
“They threaten not only human life, but also national security, public safety and the integrity of our borders”, the NIS boss said.
She disclosed that under the guidance of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, the NIS has strengthened its response through policy reforms, operational upgrades, technology deployment and international cooperation.
“Among the measures highlighted were enhanced surveillance across land, sea and air borders, the establishment of a Command and Control Centre that mirrors all NIS operational activities nationwide, and the deployment of advanced migration management tools.
“These include the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS), Advanced Passenger Information Systems (APIS), Passenger Name Records (PNR), e-gates at international airports, and Huawei-powered e-border solutions deployed at more than 144 border locations across the country”, she stated.
Nandap said the Service has also deepened partnerships with regional and international bodies such as ECOWAS, the African Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), FIIAPP and FRONTEX.
She explained that these collaborations have boosted capacity building, data sharing, joint investigations, safe return programmes and cross-border law enforcement, while bilateral agreements with transit and destination countries have improved early warning systems and repatriation mechanisms.
Addressing the root causes of irregular migration, the Comptroller-General said the NIS has intensified community-based sensitisation campaigns to counter false promises used by smugglers to lure Nigerians abroad.
She said the campaigns specifically target young people, including National Youth Service Corps members, students, youth associations and transport unions.
“This year alone, over 200,000 corps members were sensitised, in addition to extensive outreach across the country during the 2025 sensitisation campaign.
“Our messages focus on the tactics used by smuggling networks, digital recruitment scams, false job offers and the importance of using safe, orderly and regular migration channels”, Nandap said.
As part of the International Migrants Day commemoration, she reaffirmed the NIS’s commitment to strengthening border security and intelligence capabilities, dismantling smuggling networks, protecting migrants, especially women and children from exploitation, and upholding the human rights and dignity of all migrants, regardless of status.
She stressed that combating migrant smuggling requires collective responsibility beyond government action, calling on families, communities, traditional institutions, civil society organisations, academia, development partners and the media to play active roles.
“The fight against migrant smuggling is not a task for government alone. Together, we must build safe pathways, protect vulnerable populations and secure our borders against criminal exploitation”, she said.
Nandap also expressed appreciation to Nigeria’s development partners and the international community for their technical support, capacity-building initiatives and ongoing collaborative projects.
She assured that the NIS would continue to sustain and strengthen these partnerships in pursuit of its mandate to promote safe, orderly and regular migration, protect Nigerians, secure the nation’s borders and safeguard the country’s future.
