The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has directed officers to increase scrutiny at approved entry points and vulnerable border corridors, putting border control in focus ahead of the country’s 2027 elections.
The service announced on its official account that an election-security awareness program began at its Abuja headquarters on Nov. 13. It called on officers to identify unusual activity across borders and counter unauthorized entry, human trafficking and migrant smuggling. The NIS described the program as part of its strategic role in election monitoring and management.
The NIS said Comptroller-General Kemi Nanna Nandap was represented by a deputy comptroller-general. In remarks conveyed at the event, she urged officers to remain politically neutral and coordinate with other agencies. Reports said she also asked supervisors to prepare their commands for the period before, during and after the elections. The service said the program was intended to help Nigerians exercise their democratic rights peacefully.
THISDAY, PUNCH and The Guardian reported that Patrick Ikenweiwe, the Department of State Services’ deputy director-general for operations and intelligence, represented Director-General Oluwatosin Ajayi. Their accounts said Ikenweiwe offered intelligence sharing, joint threat assessments and coordinated operations focused on land borders and entry points. THISDAY and The Guardian attributed the line “Our strength lies in absolute synergy” to Ajayi, through his representative. PUNCH said the workshop included the NIS, the DSS, the Border Communities Development Agency and other stakeholders.
The agency statements and event reports described preventive planning but did not cite a specific foreign interference attempt in the 2027 election process.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) calendar sets the presidential and National Assembly elections for Jan. 16, 2027. Governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled for Feb. 6.
