BENIN CITY?THE Controller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Edo State Command, Martins Moye, has described as alarming the rising numbers of irregular migrants flocking into Nigeria.

The controller expressed his concern at the 2024 edition of NIS enlightenment campaign against irregular migration, held in Benin City, Edo State, with the theme: ?Say No to Migrants Smuggling. If You Must Migrate, Migrate Safely, Orderly and Regularly?.

Speaking during the three-day sensitisation programme, which took officers and men of the command to the palace of the Enogie (Duke) of Eyaen, marketplaces, motor parks, and major streets, the controller said the ?rising numbers of irregular migration deem the enlightenment programme necessary.?

One of the facilitators, an Assistant Controller of Immigration from the command?s headquarters, Abuja, David Amanahu, said Edo State was chosen as one of the states for the enlightenment campaign because of its past history on irregular migration.

?The cheering news is that Edo State is no more number one in irregular migration. They have to make sure that Edo drops from number one in states with endemic migration,? he said.

Also speaking, another facilitator from the command headquarters, Abuja, Deputy Superintendent of Immigration, Woshak Danladi, while enumerating the dangers of irregular migration, urged officers and men of the command to make it a point of duty to tell the public about the dangers.

He noted that ?another danger of irregular migration is that your life is involved, your freedom is taken away and your organ could be harvested in the process and, more so, it is an abuse of human rights and many more.? (Vanguard)