Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to enhance border management, intelligence gathering and internal security across the state.
Governor Mutfwang gave the assurance on Thursday while receiving the Plateau State Comptroller of the Nigerian Immigration Service, CIS Mary U. Abang, during a courtesy visit at the New Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos.
The governor described the Immigration Service as a critical institution in safeguarding Nigeria’s sovereignty, noting that effective migration management has become increasingly important in tackling evolving security threats, transnational crimes and other challenges affecting national security.
He said the Plateau State Government would continue to work closely with the Service to identify, monitor and prevent illegal activities involving undocumented foreign nationals, while ensuring that lawful migrants are properly documented in line with Nigeria’s immigration laws.
“It is the responsibility of government, through the appropriate agencies, to protect the sovereignty of Nigeria and guarantee the security of lives and property. On behalf of the Government and people of Plateau State, I pledge our unwavering collaboration and support to enhance the effectiveness of the Nigerian Immigration Service in the discharge of its constitutional mandate,” Mutfwang said.
The governor stressed the need for stronger intelligence sharing between the state government and the Immigration Service, particularly at the grassroots level, urging immigration officers deployed across the state’s 17 local government areas to remain vigilant and strengthen surveillance in collaboration with other security agencies to curb irregular migration and other security threats.
He also assured the state command of continued government support to improve its operational capacity and enable officers to perform their duties more effectively.
Earlier, the Plateau State Comptroller of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Mary U. Abang, commended Governor Mutfwang for his commitment to strengthening security in the state, describing his administration as supportive of security agencies.
Abang disclosed that the command had intensified migration enforcement operations through the profiling, arrest and repatriation of undocumented foreign nationals, while expanding intelligence-driven surveillance across Plateau State.
She appealed to the state government to provide a permanent command headquarters, operational vehicles and motorcycles to improve patrols, particularly in remote communities and mining areas where undocumented foreign nationals are frequently encountered.
The comptroller also revealed that the command had uncovered cases involving foreign nationals who entered Nigeria on temporary work permits but remained in the country long after the permits had expired.
“We appeal for logistics, particularly motorcycles, to enable our officers access remote mining areas. We have discovered instances where some foreign nationals, including Chinese nationals, entered the state with temporary work permits valid for only 30 days but remained illegally for over a year after their permits had expired,” she said.
The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of the Plateau State Government and the Nigerian Immigration Service to deepen intelligence-led security operations, promote lawful migration, combat illegal immigration and safeguard lives, property and the territorial integrity of Plateau State.
