The Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, says in 2023, it arrested 522 human traffickers and 12 migrant smugglers, who were all handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP.
The Comptroller General of the service, Caroline Adepoju, said this during a media briefing, to kick-start the “Anti-smuggling Of Migrants Week,” with the theme, “THE HARSH SEARCH FOR A BETTER LIFE; DON’T BE SMUGGLED.”
Migrant smuggling has been a serious problem for most countries, just as transnational crime has continued to pose huge challenges to governments around the world, including Nigeria.
The Nigerian Immigration Service said it has implemented measures to enhance border security and strengthen the service control mechanisms, to help detect and intercept those involved in the smuggling of migrants.
Adepoju noted that the service also adopted a multi-faceted approach, that involves prevention, enforcement, and international cooperation, to tame the menace.
She further explained that enforcement was equally important, in disrupting the activities of migrant smugglers and holding them accountable for their criminal actions.
She, however, appealed to key players, including government agencies, civil society organisations, the organised private sector and the media, to assist in the fight against migrant smuggling.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
