RismadarVoice Reporters
November 13, 2026
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has pledged to strengthen border surveillance and intelligence gathering ahead of the 2027 general elections to prevent the infiltration of foreign mercenaries, illegal weapons and other security threats.
The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, made the commitment on Friday during a sensitisation workshop on election security for senior immigration officers in Abuja.
Represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Visa and Residency, Franca Nwanneka, Nandap stressed the importance of effective border management in safeguarding Nigeria’s electoral process.
She identified irregular migration, human trafficking, migrant smuggling and other transnational crimes as potential threats requiring increased surveillance and cooperation among security agencies.
The immigration chief urged personnel to strengthen intelligence gathering, improve operational readiness and maintain close coordination with relevant institutions before, during and after the elections.
Nandap also warned officers against political interference, emphasising that the Immigration Service must remain professional and non-partisan throughout the electoral process.
She cautioned personnel against using government resources to advance partisan political interests.
According to her, effective election security requires collaboration among security agencies, particularly through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.
Speaking at the workshop, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, identified the movement of illegal arms and foreign mercenaries across Nigeria’s borders as potential threats to peaceful elections.
Represented by the Deputy Director-General in charge of Operations and Intelligence, Patrick Ikenweiwe, Ajayi said criminal networks could exploit poorly monitored entry points to undermine national security.
He reaffirmed the DSS’s commitment to intelligence sharing and cooperation with the Immigration Service.
The warning comes amid heightened security concerns following the reported interception of weapons allegedly smuggled into Nigeria from the Niger Republic.
Security sources said DSS operatives recently recovered 21 AK-47 rifles, four PKT machine guns and 825 magazines during an operation in Sokoto State.
Also speaking, David Ojelabi, representing the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Audi, called for early preparations and politically neutral security operations.
He said election security required effective threat assessment, timely deployment and lawful responses to emerging challenges.
The participating agencies maintained that stronger border protection, intelligence sharing and inter-agency cooperation would be essential to safeguarding voters and supporting peaceful, credible elections in 2027.
