Immigration on red alert as Tuareg from Chad, Benin flood Nigeria

By Christopher Oji

Following the influx of Tuareg from the Republic of Benin and Chad into the northern part of the country, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has placed its personnel on red alert.

The foreigners, most of them believed by the NIS to be criminals, have caused tension in the northern part of the country, especially in Kaduna State, the route where most foreigners usually enter Nigeria.

An Immigrations officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “The number of foreigners, especially from Republic of Benin and Chad, has overwhelmed us. We have been placed on red alert, but how many are we to man our porous borders? We don’t even have the capacity to do much. We need assistance from other agencies, but our management is pretending that we are on top of the situation. We are not on top of anything. We don’t have helicopters for aerial patrol and no drones to supplement.

“How many is the number of NIS workforce? The illegal immigrants are trooping into our country daily. They are coming in droves. The problem is that they look like our people, especially Fulani. It is a very difficult and worrisome situation. The federal government needs to step in urgently because most of these foreigners are members of terrorist groups, especially the new group that is in the country.

“Many of them are bandits and kidnappers. These people are responsible for killings and taking over our farmlands. They are the ones causing serious food scarcity in Nigeria. I have played my part by speaking to you and raising the alarm about the influx of these foreigners who mean no good for the country. I say it equivocally that NIS has no capacity to contain the influx.

“We need assistance from other security agencies because what will befall Nigeria is unimaginable, except something drastic is done.”

In a memo by the NIS, Kaduna State Command, signed by the Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, for the Comptroller of the Immigration Service, Muazu Aliyu, it was stated that there has been observed a heightened movement of Tuareg (Arabs) into the country, saying, “Reports indicate an influx of Tuareg from the Republic of Niger and Chad into some northern parts of the country.”

“They came into the country under the cover of selling traditional herbal medicine and they speak fulfulde language. This development has the tendency of causing apprehension, particularly with the issue of banditry bedevilling the state. In view of the above, all officers/men, especially those at the local government, should intensify more efforts, properly identify, monitor and report any suspicious activities to the command,” the memo said.