By RAJI RASAK

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Friday held a sensitisation walk against illegal migration and smuggling along the Seme border, Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sensitisation was done by the NIS Seme Command and Lagos State Border Patrol Command of NIS, Seme.

NAN also reports that personnel of the commands marched to different communities within the Seme border, warning the residents of the menace of illegal migration.

Speaking before the rally, Comptroller Abdullahi Adamu, Controller of Seme Command, said the time has come for Nigerians to collaborate with security agencies in the fight against illegal migration and child trafficking.

According to him, the reality faced by migrants during their journey and at their destination is always different from their expectations.

?Over the years, we have recorded some numbers of Nigerians that have moved illegally outside the country.

?Recently, we received some Nigerians that were returned from Ghana who had migrated there illegally.

?This is the time Nigerians should make sure they get the proper documents to travel as the process of getting these documents is now seamless,? he said.

Also speaking, Comptroller Bolu Bewaji, Management Unit, NIS, Abuja Headquarters, said the duty of the service was to ensure that Nigerians are not shipped abroad for wrong purposes.

?We should also let them know the dangers of irregular migration.

?We have been working tirelessly to make sure the number of irregular migrants is reduced. That is why we are putting various measures in place to make sure that Nigerians are protected.

?I want to tell well-meaning Nigerians that travelling through regular means is the best.

?Getting the proper travel documents and going through recognised borders will help track the movement of Nigerians,? he said.

Similarly, Dr Williams Eselebor, an Immigration Consultant, urged NIS not to focus only on migrants smuggled from Nigeria.

According to him, many migrants are also being smuggled into Nigeria.

?Unfortunately, we are surrounded by francophone countries. That?s a huge gap, like where you are now to Benin is 773 km. Benin and Niger are strategic borders for smuggling of migrants.

?There are lots of Nigerians in concentration camps in Algeria, Libya and Mauritania, and that?s why we need to take it seriously.

?Seme is supposed to be one of the priority routes because Seme is one of the gateways to the Lagos-Abidjan corridor, and it has a high level of movement in terms of smuggling of migrants,? he said.

Eselebor said the capacity of security agencies was inadequate to cover the length and breadth of the country.

?Immigration has deployed higher level technology; we now have a commandant control centre where the borders can be viewed.

?When you put too much bureaucracy in place, people divert to irregular routes. Most of the time, the movement happens when securities are not on duty,? he said. (NAN)