Insecurity: FG deports 19,000 illegal immigrants

A total of 19,000 illegal immigrants who gained entry into the country over the years have, so far, been deported, as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to boost security in the country.
This came as the Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, disclosed that the number of illegal immigrants in the country had soared as a result of the porous borders and the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) protocol on free movement of persons and goods.
Speaking in Abuja at a leadership forum organised by the Nigerian Pilot/Newsworld, on Thursday, the minister lamented that Nigeria did not have an accurate figure of illegal immigrants currently in the country, due to the factors that fuelled their entry.
The minister said the country required extraordinary measure to deal with what he described as extraordinary problem, noting that the government would consider construction of relevant perimeter fence at the nation’s borders if the means became available, so as to curb entry of illegal immigrants into the country.
Moro said what the country needed to do was to classify the borders and construct legal border plazas and then deploy officers to the plazas to assist curb the trend.
He, however, expressed disappointment that there was no quick solution to the myriad of illegal borders, while hinting that illegal immigrants were becoming impediments to effective policing of the country.
According to him, the ministry was in the process of acquiring ICT equipment to effectively manage border security, so as to stem threats to national security.
Moro said the Federal Government was thinking of decentralisation of the nation’s prison system, to enhance effective management, although that was subject to when the relevant prison act and the constitution were amended.