Immigration Moves To Digitise Border Management To Boost Security

The Nigeria Immigration Service says it is moving faster on digital border management as part of efforts to tighten security without blocking lawful movement and trade across Nigeria’s borders.

Comptroller-General Kemi Nandap said the service is working on digital identity systems, automated border controls and intelligence-led surveillance. She spoke in Lagos at the 2026 conference of the African Borderlands Research Network.

Nandap said border security now has to respond to human trafficking, migrant smuggling, identity fraud, organised crime, terrorism and cyber-enabled offences. She also said technology would not be enough on its own without trained personnel who understand border communities and the threats around them.

The conference focused on connected borderlands, social and cultural ties, policy, research and security. Nandap said Nigeria’s borders should be managed as places where families, trade and communities continue to interact, not only as lines separating countries.

She said the challenge for government is to keep the borders secure while allowing legitimate travellers, traders and residents to move without needless restrictions. Vanguard’s report tied the announcement to the ABORNE event in Lagos and said the plan is aimed at strengthening national security and curbing cross-border crime.

Sources: Punch, Vanguard