Border Control: Nigeria seeks collaboration of Sahel, West African countries

Nigeria has called for collaboration with the Sahel and West African countries on information and data sharing for effective border control.

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The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the call on Tuesday while addressing journalists on the sidelines of the Summit on Border Security in London.

”There is need for collaboration of countries within the Sahel and West African sub-region for better international partnerships and information dissemination.

“We need more data sharing and better collaborations to make sure we don’t just solve the problem but we stop the problem from happening.

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“The major takeaway from this summit is proactiveness and not just being reactive as countries are now more poised to criminalising irregular migration.

“So this summit is a wonderful one because it brings an opportunity for ministers in border control to make sure we are all able to manage our borders to secure our countries,” he said.

According to him, organised immigration crimes were not an isolated problem to a particular country, emphasising that, it is a shared problem, therefore, shared solutions must be proffered.

The minister acknowledged that border crimes were of great concern to the federal government, hence the implementation of strategies towards combating such crimes.

“Nigeria has a border control solution because we are not just a destination point.

“We have automated our solutions as there are more measures in place to ensure the borders are secured and to ensure irregular migration is brought to an end.

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“We can’t afford to lose the battle before we start it and so we know that with this kind of summit, as a united front we will effectively combat this menace,” Tunji-Ojo assured.

NAN reports that the summit brought together over 30 global leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, to discuss critical issues surrounding border control and organised immigration crime (OIC).

The summit provided a platform for international collaboration on migration policies, security threats and strategies to combat illegal immigration activities.

(NAN)