NIS launches campaign against irregular migration

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Imo Command, on Thursday launched a campaign on the dangers of irregular migration.

Tagged: `’Enlightenment Campaign on the Dangers of Irregular Migration Through the Implementation of the Project “Passport To Safe Migration”, the event was mainly targeted at the youths.

The Comptroller-General of the NIS, Mr Muhammed Babandede, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller of Immigration (DCI), Imo Command, Mr Ndako Mamuda, said the campaign was organised to further sensitise the public to the risks involved in illegal migration.

“We want to use this medium to alert the citizens, especially the youth, on the inherent dangers of irregular migration,” Babandede said, adding, “some have died trying to follow a shortcut”.

The DCI, FCT Command, Mr Umar S. Umar said that the “Passport To Safe Migration” project was one of the several programmes put in place by the NIS to discourage irregular migration.

Umar said a United Nations(UN) report had indicated that the number of migrants continued to increase.

“According to a United Nations report, there were 244 million migrants in the year 2015, with a minimum of 5 million Nigerians living in the diaspora”, he said.

The DCI Passport, Imo command, Mr Ebenezer Okoh, commended the the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Imo for mobilising a large number of youth corps members for the event.