Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, announced that security operatives have apprehended 10 individuals from INTERPOL’s watch list while attempting to enter Nigeria.
Tunji-Ojo made the statement in Abuja on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Technology Innovation Complex by President Bola Tinubu.
“In the last couple of days, there were 10 people who were on the INTERPOL and immigration wanted list who were apprehended in one week,” the minister stated.
“Before now, those people would have entered Nigeria, causing terror. But we have now told them that under the new leadership, Nigeria is a no-go area for any criminal element.”
The complex, which includes the command and control centre (regular migration), NIS Data Centre, ECOWAS biometric card production centre, interior Data Centre, and a 0.5KW solar power plant, was among the facilities unveiled by the president.
The minister explained that the newly installed facility will assess the risk level of individuals entering the country, detect irregular migration patterns, and monitor unmanned borders in remote areas nationwide.
Tunji-Ojo highlighted that the solar power station was built to reduce costs and promote sustainability, emphasizing that it will save over N300 million annually.
“We decided to do an end-to-end solution. One that has an energy solution to power this facility. The 0.5KW solar power plant is 100 percent ready here, and it has been connected to the facility to power it,” he said.
“Also, the human factor is fundamental because you can build a structure, but how about the human element?”
“What we’ve been able to do is to train 250 officers. As I speak, we run shifts of eight hours three times a day, which is 24/7 surveillance.”
“Nigeria was wasting billions every year, but with this state-of-the-art technology, the country will save over N300 million annually.”
“We now have an ECOWAS travel document that will facilitate easy movement and travel, and for the first time in the history of this country, we now have over 200 borders, and we are fully in charge of the border governance, watching over them.”
“We now have an automated visa regime with 48 hours of visa approval.”
Tunji-Ojo reiterated his commitment to improving service delivery for Nigerians.
