{"id":16867,"date":"2026-11-13T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T12:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/13\/2027-immigration-vows-to-block-foreign-mercenaries-illicit-arms\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T12:00:50","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T12:00:50","slug":"2027-immigration-vows-to-block-foreign-mercenaries-illicit-arms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/13\/2027-immigration-vows-to-block-foreign-mercenaries-illicit-arms\/","title":{"rendered":"2027: Immigration vows to block foreign mercenaries, illicit arms"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Immigration\"<\/p>\n

The Nigeria Immigration Service NIS has pledged to tighten surveillance at the nation\u2019s borders ahead of the 2027 general election, as sister security agencies named foreign mercenaries and illicit arms among the threats it must help keep out of the electoral process.<\/p>\n

Comptroller General of the Immigration Service, Kemi Nana Nandap, made the pledge on Friday in Abuja at a sensitisation workshop on election security for senior personnel, themed \u201cThe strategic role of the NIS in Election Monitoring and intimidation\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we prepare for the 2027 general elections, let us be guided by the common purpose to protect our national security, uphold the rule of law, and contribute to an electoral environment in which every Nigerian can exercise their democratic rights peacefully and without intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Represented by the Deputy Comptroller General DCG in charge of Visa and Residency, Dr Franca Usiwoma Nwanneka, the immigration boss said, \u201cAs the agency charged with the mandate of border security and migration management, we occupy a strategic position in the nation\u2019s security architecture. We must therefore remain alert to the influx of foreigners, particularly irregular migration, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, and other transnational criminal activities capable of undermining national security.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Comptroller General stressed that the service cannot do this alone. \u201cNo single agency can address the complex security challenges confronting our nation in isolation,\u201d the address said, appreciating \u201cthe continued partnership\u201d of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC and other security agencies.<\/p>\n

Warning the personnel against partisanship, the immigration boss said, \u201cLet us therefore reiterate that the Nigeria Immigration Service remains a non-partisan institution. Under no circumstances should our personnel use official resources to promote partisan interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must ensure that our commands are adequately prepared before, during, and after elections through strengthening surveillance, intelligence gathering, effective deployment, and close coordination with relevant security agencies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In inter-agency work, the CG said the service\u2019s participation in the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security ICCES must be proactive, purposeful, and result-orientated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect every senior officer to lead by example and take full responsibility for maintaining professional standards within their respective formats,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Director General, Department of State Services DSS, Mr Oluwatosin Ajayi told the gathering that electoral periods attract attempts to exploit the nation\u2019s frontiers for the movement of \u201cillicit arms, mercenaries\u201d and others bent on undermining the democratic process.<\/p>\n

Represented by the Deputy Director General, Operations and Intelligence, Mr Patrick Ikenweiwe, the spy chief said, \u201cThe Nigerian Immigration Service therefore stands at the first line of national defence, and its vigilance remains indispensable to a peaceful, credible exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The DSS, he said, remains committed to deeper collaboration with the NIS, \u201cparticularly along our land borders and at entry points. No single agency can secure the electoral space alone. Our strength lies in absolute synergy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He urged supervisors \u201cto lead by example and to uphold neutrality and professionalism throughout the electoral cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Ojelabi, who represented the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Prof. Ahmed Audi, described early preparation as a matter of national security.<\/p>\n

\u201cElections are the clearest expression of social contracts between citizens and states, and their credibility rests solely on the confidence that that process is secure, orderly, and fair. With the 2027 general elections approaching, early and deliberate preparations are a national security necessity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He listed the prevention of foreign interference among the service\u2019s contributions in the electoral cycle, alongside the control of land, air and maritime entry points and the enforcement of immigration law \u201cfirmly and without partisanship. Preparedness is more than equipment and numbers,\u201d he said, noting that it is \u201cthe ability to accept threats, deploy quickly, and respond lawfully and neutrally.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post 2027: Immigration vows to block foreign mercenaries, illicit arms<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source: <\/p>\n

Vanguard News<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Nigeria Immigration Service NIS has pledged to tighten surveillance at the nation\u2019s borders ahead of the 2027 general election, as sister security agencies named foreign mercenaries and illicit arms… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16868,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}