The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has announced a strategic partnership with the Nigerian Navy to intensify efforts in combating criminal activities and terrorism within Nigeria’s international maritime boundaries.
This development was revealed during a recent official visit by the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, to the Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft in Apapa, Lagos. The CG was represented by Deputy Controller Muhammad Umar, who led the NIS delegation as part of a broader engagement in a regional workshop on maritime border security, co-hosted with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre.
According to Umar, the collaboration between the two agencies goes beyond addressing stowaway cases. He emphasized that the focus is on strengthening maritime security across all fronts. “It is not only about stowaways, it is about how to control criminality and terrorism across our international maritime domain,” he stated.
Umar further explained that the Immigration Service is working closely with the Navy to ensure coordinated security coverage across Nigeria’s maritime environment. “The Navy is responsible for the protection of our international territorial waters. So the ships and every other economic activity at the port or along the maritime domains are done in conjunction with these agencies. And it is all done within the context of what we call the four Cs,” he said, referencing cooperation, coordination, collaboration, and communication.
Commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft, Commodore Paul Nimmyel, reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to inter-agency cooperation as part of its operational mandate. He highlighted that the Navy regularly collaborates with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Immigration Service to maintain maritime security.
“When we arrest criminals or would-be criminals in the maritime space, we do their proper documentation and hand them over to the appropriate agencies,” Commodore Nimmyel explained. He also noted that the day’s exercise included a simulation involving stowaways, a recurring issue encountered aboard ships entering Nigerian waters.
The renewed collaboration signals a stronger front against maritime threats, aligning with Nigeria’s broader national security and border management objectives.
