We’ve no hand in smugglers’ business – Immigration

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has absolved itself and officers of culpability in the smuggling of the Nigerian girls to Egypt.
Rather than abet human traffickers to push their nefarious trade, NIS said it had strengthened the capacity of its officers to work in partnership with relevant agencies to stop human trafficking in all the nation’s borders.
Its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Sunday James, said the NIS was not aware of the smugglers’ activities at the airport.
He said the Service apprehended a group of smugglers at Seme–Nigeria’s border with Republic of Benin.
The suspects, he said, were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffi cking in Persons (NAPTIP) for prosecution.
James said NIS has stringent disciplinary measures for erring officers who aid traffickers to smuggle human beings, noting that the Service had upheld professionalism in the management of the nation’s border.
Asked if NIS was aware of Nigerian girls being enslaved and sold in Egypt? James said: “We are not aware of any such activity.
But, as far as we are concerned and to our knowledge, we have our officers stationed at all entry and exit point in Nigeria to intercept suspected smugglers and their victims.
“This has been a routine and whenever we suspect any person, whether at the airport, seaport or land borders, we intercept and interrogate them.
If they are found wanting or maybe it is confirmed to be a trafficking issue or they are smuggling people, we stop them immediately.
That we have been doing for many times.” Reacting to allegation of culpability of NIS officers at the airport, James said: “Which of the airports? You are supposed to go to our airports; there are comptrollers there.
Go there and meet the comptrollers to ask questions.
Your story will not be complete without you going to airports.
“We don’t support smugglers to carry out their business.
The NIS Comptroller-General regularly sounds a note of warning to officers who may want to compromise professionalism and aid in the trafficking of persons.
We have strict penalties for erring officers.
We are not interested in issue of Nigerians who probably travel out of the country on their own and they end up being exploited.
“We are interested in preventing smugglers from taking victims out of the country through our borders.
We advise anyone travelling out of the country to go through the right process and carry the right documents.
Immigration Act frowns at trafficking in persons.

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