Illegal immigration in Nigeria has become a common feature of the nation so much that foreigners strive by any means possible to leave the shore of their countries to move into Nigeria.
There are several arguments on the causal factors. While a school of thought believes it is as result of the porosity of Nigerian borders others premised their arguments on the inefficiency and compromise on the part of Nigerian security agents saddled with the responsibilities of protecting the territorial integrity of the country. However, the two arguments seem to be correct if one takes a cursory look into the issue.
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria customs service, Hammed Ali once asserted that there are over 100 unapproved routes or simply put illegal borders all over Nigeria. According to him, this has made it easy for intruders to easily find their ways into the country with little or no hindrance or resistance.
Again, it is no more news that crossing into Nigeria borders only require inducing the immigration officers and other security agents who may even escort them, illegal immigrants to their intended destinations within the country.
Just last week, the Nigerian Navy intercepted a vessel, within the Lagos bar, with 406 West Africans on-board without clearance from port control. The vessel was said to be billed to arrive in the Benin Republic, to disembark passengers from that country, Togo, Mali and Niger before sailing to Calabar in Cross River to drop off Nigerians on-board but was discovered to have planned to dump the passengers in Nigeria since it aborted the original passage plan. In a twist of event, the vessel arrived in Lagos bar on April 25. The total number of Nigerians on-board and whether or not the vessel did berth in Benin is yet to be confirmed.
This and many are recorded on daily basis and the dangers posed by indiscriminate entrance of unregistered immigrants to the country cannot be overemphasized.
Nigeria is experiencing a turbulent time in terms of security. Most of the terrorist activities and insurgencies have often been linked to foreigners who operate within Nigeria most of whom are illegal immigrants. Even the dreaded Boko Haram insurgency is said to be fuelled by these foreign mercenaries.
The Fulani herdsmen menace is another typical example here. Most often, these illegal immigrants are jobless and without a specific destination or residence. They gallivant all over the places and at the end of the day initiate and spearhead criminal gangs who alter the peace of the society.
Smuggling of dangerous goods had been made possible by these illegal immigrants and crime is on the increase in Nigeria on daily basis without any vestige of any attempt to curb it by the security agencies.
Most appalling, the Nigerian government seems not to have learnt enough lessons hence, its desire to pay less attention to manning its borders and putting up measures capable of genuinely constraining and curbing the influx of illegal immigrants into the country to the barest minimum.
It is understandable that there is a pact between ECOWAS members to move freely but there are also procedures and this shouldn’t be taken as synonym for unrestricted or unregistered immigration.
It is time for government to declare an emergency on our borders and there is need for the restructuring of the Nigeria Immigration service to make them wake up to their obligations.
Inter-agency collaboration is also key in solving this problem even as it is imperative for citizens to play their roles by being vigilant. They must be able to identify their neighbours and what they do for a living and as well report suspected intruders to the necessary security agencies.
There must also be an aggressive sensitization and civic re-orientation all over the country on the dangers of illegal immigration to the security of lives and properties and as well the economic growth of Nigeria.
