Lakurawa: Immigration steps up surveillance at borders

Lakurawa: Immigration steps up surveillance at borders

Security agencies have tightened security at the Nigeria/Niger Republic borders, especially within the Sokoto axis.

This followed an alert on the activities of the terror group popularly called Lakurawa, The Nation gathered yesterday.

But officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said there was no cause for alarm about the matter.

The sources said the service had stepped up efforts to frustrate incursions of illegal migrants into the country.

A top NIS official said the service and other security agencies were closely monitoring the borders.

“Since we received the alert on the presence of a new terror group within the Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states’ axis, we have stepped up our game.

“The NIS and other agencies are working in synergy to establish the veracity of some of the claims. We are closely monitoring the situation,” the NIS officer said.

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Also at the NIS headquarters in Abuja, our correspondent gathered that the deployment of recently inaugurated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC) has provided an edge for the NIS to secure the country’s land borders.

The BATTIC is fitted with sophisticated technology gadgets for surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation of happenings at all borders, providing the NIS with adequate data for management of migration information.

During the inauguration of the complex, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap, announced that the complex would, among others, “support real-time video surveillance to monitor unmanned border areas across the federation, ensuring a constant watch on border activities”.

She added: “Integrated Communication Platform: BATTIC will facilitate seamless communication across all levels — from Border Patrol units to Border Control posts, state commands, the Service headquarters, and the Ministry of Interior.

“Cross-referencing with national and international watch lists: Data will be cross-checked against various national and global security databases, including INTERPOL, to ensure no security threats slip through the cracks.

“In essence, BATTIC will serve as the central hub for our digital infrastructure, dramatically enhancing our surveillance capabilities, streamlining migration management, and strengthening our national security framework,” Mrs. Nandap said.

The NIS source also told The Nation that since the inauguration of the complex, a new phase had opened for the service to deliver on its mandate in border management and security.

Lakurawa: Immigration steps up surveillance at borders