Nigeria Immigration Service to recruit 5,000 people

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Acting Comptroller General (CG), Idris Jere, has said plans are underway to recruit an additional 5,000 people into the service.

Mr. Jere, who said this while taking questions from reporters in Dutse on Saturday, said the gesture was aimed at addressing the labor shortage in the NIS.

“Regarding the inadequate NES personnel, as you know, we have just concluded recruitment into the service and we are training these recruits now.

"As you also know, the government imposed an embargo on recruitment, but lifted it on security agencies, because security is essential.

“So we have written to the president and I am sure we will get approval to recruit about 5,000 more people into the NIS,” Mr Jere said.

He added that Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola had sent a note to President Muhammadu Buhari, who indicated his willingness to approve the request.

The CG was in Jigawa to offer condolences to the family of one of its officers killed by suspected bandits on August 9 and to visit others hospitalized.

Staff were attacked at one of the Immigration Service bases along the Birniwa-Galadi axis in the Birniwa local government area of ​​the state.

The bandits opened fire on the patrolling immigration officers, which resulted in the death of one of them named Abdullahi Mohammed (CIA), while two others were seriously injured by gunshots.

CG Immigration reiterated that the service will not be deterred by the incident in its efforts to secure Nigeria's borders for national peace and development.

According to him, the service will soon deploy the technology to bolster its efforts focused on securing and protecting the country's borders.

"For example, Jigawa borders the Republic of Niger, and the distance is about 1,680 km, which is very important for immigration officers to patrol.

"So technology is the answer to this problem. And fortunately, the federal government has approved the electronic border that will cover Maigatari here in Jigawa and other borders across the country.

"We already have infrastructure, so cameras and drones will be used to adequately patrol the borders, but it is capital intensive.

"But I want to assure you that the deployment of this technology will begin soon," Jere said.

He called on the state government to help the immigration department with vehicles to ensure constant patrolling of the Maigatari border.

The CG also called on traditional state institutions to support the service with vital information on suspicious movements for appropriate and prompt action.

“Information is vital and these people who commit crimes are not demons, they are in us.

"So provide us (the immigration department) with credible information about suspicious people or movements so that we can act appropriately and quickly.

“When we get credible information about criminals, it allows us to prevent them from wreaking havoc. Preventing crime costs less than fighting it,” the CG said.

(NAN)

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