Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Department of State Services (DSS) has identified Kano and Lagos states as the hotbeds for illegal migration in the country.
Edo State director of the service, Brown Ekwoba, who made the disclosure at a seminar at its National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) in Abuja on Monday, said that the migration cartel is majorly men based outside the country.
The seminar with the theme, “Transhumance and International Migration: Implication on Nigeria’s Internal Security,” was organised for the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 12 comprising 62 participants drawn from the DSS, military, police, intelligence agencies, para-military, as well as senior Ministries, Departments and Agencies officials.
Speaking as a discussant, the Edo State secret police boss lamented that the victims go through all manners of ritual sacrifices and fetishism from the process of transporting them from Edo State through Lagos or Kano.
“Our investigations have revealed that the members of the cartel are merely male based outside this country. We have also identified that the major routes for illegal migration are Kano and Lagos. We know some of the transportation lines used in the movement of their victims from Benin and incidentally, anytime you arrive a transport line and they tell you that a particular vehicle was reserved for Lagos or Kano, it should arouse your curiosity. So, Kano and Lagos are the two states majorly used for illegal migration,” he said.
In his presentation, the key speaker and Director, Crisis Management Centre of the DSS, Abba Adams, raised concern over trans-humance activities in the country, warning that the development poses serious threat to internal security.
He said that as part of measures to address the situation, he advised that the Federal government should urgently establish an effective national identity system in the country, among others.
According to him, the regular movement of livestock has continued to provoke debate at the international political arena, submitting that pastoralist activities accounted for over one-third of the world’s land surface.
“Trans-humance activities as an aspect of international migration pose real threat to the internal security of Nigeria.
“More than ever before, animal disease infections…and conflicts are becoming increasingly rampant due to trans-humance activities,” the senior DSS official said.
He further identified the spread of infectious diseases, proliferation of small arms and light weapons as some of the negative implications of trans-border movement of animals.
Adams suggested that as a way out of the danger posed by the migratory activities of pastoralist farmers, there should be a review of the land use act, improved policing, development of border communities, as well as the establishment of a modern ranching system.
“Nigeria’s ability to curtail these threats is confronted by rising climate change, weak policing, ungoverned border areas and a weak national identity system among others.
“It is, therefore, expedient that the Federal government employs the instrument of national power to mitigate both the proximate and broader challenges of trans-humance activities as an aspect of internal migration for the safeguard of internal security,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NISS has concluded plans to dispatch a total of 21 syndicates from security and government officials to the Netherlands, in its determination to stem the tide of irregular migration.
During the visit, the officials are expected to gather data from primary and secondary sources, through interactions with relevant agencies of the government of that country, private sector, as well as Nigerians resident in the country, on the management and mitigation of irregular migration.