President Muhammadu Buhari has mandated the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to intensify border surveillance and control ahead of the forthcoming general election.
The minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola conveyed the president’s order while inaugurating the Katsina NIS command office and the roll-out of the enhanced e-passport.
He said the president gave the directive to avoid the manipulation of the general elections scheduled for 25 February and 11 March by ‘foreign bodies’.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered that Nigerian borders should be made impenetrable to foreign bodies who might want to come in and manipulate the election process or engage in other nefarious activities,” said Aregbesola.
The minister added, “The order from the president is that between now and the time that we conclude all the elections, please make our borders impregnable.
“They should still remain impregnable, even after the elections. We don’t want a situation whereby those who are not qualified to vote in Nigeria will come into our nation to illegally participate in the process.”
While noting that NIS’ primary assignment is border control and not passport issuance, Aregbesola assured that the nation’s borders would soon be covered using the latest surveillance technology.
“We are deploying electronic digital technology to ensure 24/7 inch-by-inch surveillance of the 4,500km borderline from the eastern part to the western part, including coastlines. This is one of the several achievements of the president’s administration,” the interior minister said.
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