FG Deports 828 Illegal Immigrants to combat irregular migration and enhance national security – Minister of Interior, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo
_…revealed that NIS cleared a backlog of over 200,000 passport applications, issued 1,836,533 passports_
The Federal Government has deported 828 illegal immigrants in 2024 as part of its intensified efforts to combat irregular migration and enhance national security
The Minister of Interior, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this at a media parley in Abuja on Tuesday.
Highlighting the government’s achievements, the minister stated, “In the last one year, 137 victims of trafficking were intercepted, and in 2024 alone, 828 foreigners were repatriated by the Nigerian Immigration Service.”
As part of broader reforms, the government implemented measures to modernise border operations and immigration systems.
These include integrating Nigerian passports into the International Civil Aviation Organisation Public Key Directory, allowing seamless verification worldwide, and establishing a centralised Visa Approval Centre in Abuja to streamline visa processing.
To support these initiatives, an 8.3-petabyte data centre—the largest in Nigeria—has been constructed, and a solar-powered infrastructure was introduced to ensure uninterrupted operations.
A command and control centre now provides real-time monitoring of all land and air entry points, boosting surveillance capabilities.
According to the minister, at least 97 cases of persons of international security interest have been recorded through the API/PNR, as of sunday, 26th January, 2025. who would have hitherto found their way into the country under the manual passenger processing and profiling system.
The minister noted that the NIS also cleared a backlog of ” Over 200,000 passport applications within three weeks in 2023 and issued 1,836,533 passports in 2024.”
He also said the centralised passport personalization process will begin with 21 African Countries on the 3rd of February, 2025.
