17th July, 2019
The Speaker, Oyo House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, has called for increased border surveillance to reduce the numbers of foreigners and migrants entering the country illegally.
Ogundoyin said this on Wednesday while leading other lawmakers on courtesy visit to Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service ( NIS), Oyo State Command, Saleh Abdullahi, at his Agodi office.
He said with the spate of insecurity in the country, most of the high profile crimes are allegedly linked to foreigners.
He harped on the need for NIS to do more in controlling the number of persons entering and leaving the country.
He stressed that Gov. Seyi Makinde was keen on securing the lives and property of the residents of the state, and lawmakers too were ready to complement the efforts of the governor.
“We are ready to work with all security agencies in the state to achieve a safer and secured environment as no investment can thrive in an unsecured environment,” said Ogundoyin.
He urged the officers of NIS to beam their searchlight on already identified flashpoints and other areas to further secure the nation’s borders adjudged as highly porous.
Also, the Deputy Speaker, Mr Abiodun Fadeyi, urgerd the NIS to pay particular attention to migrants and other foreigners who came into the state to perpetrate crimes and terrorise the residents.
The Comptroller, Saleh Abdullah, said his officers would not relent in ensuring border patrol while stressing that the NIS had been working with other security agencies to secure all border entries into the state.
Abdullahi said his officers mounted regular patrols in border communities in Saki, Iseyin, Okerete, Ayegun and Wasinmi in Okeogun area of Oyo state.
He said, in order to ease the duty of the NIS in issuing travel documents to bonafide Nigerians and residence permits to foreigners, the Service had launched E-registration process.
He gave the assurance that it would be opened in each of the local government offices of the Command.
He warned Nigerians against employing unknown house helps as most of them who are foreigners were trafficked.
Abdullah said activities of his officers in Okeogun area of Oyo state were hindered by members of the host communities who conspired with illegal immigrants to get into the state through diversionary routes.