ECOWAS Free Movement: Nigeria seeks balance between mobility, security

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The Federal Government is seeking to balance the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement with national security concerns by improving the profiling, documentation and monitoring of people crossing its borders.

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The Director-General of the National Boundary Commission (NBC), Adamu Adaji, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.

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Adaji said free movement should not prevent authorities from knowing who enters or leaves the country.

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He said the ECOWAS Protocol permitted the movement of goods and persons, while border agencies remained responsible for monitoring activities within Nigeria’s territorial limits.

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“People who enter and leave should be properly profiled and documented, even though they have the right to free movement,” he said.

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According to him, authorities should know the identity of travellers and their reasons for entering the country.

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He said security agencies operating along border corridors should strengthen monitoring to ensure that legitimate movement did not create opportunities for criminal activities.

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Adaji identified terrorism, kidnapping and arms smuggling as among the security-related activities associated with Nigeria’s border areas.

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He said illegal routes remained a challenge, urging authorities to identify and profile people using such routes.

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The NBC boss called for efforts to reduce, minimise and eventually eliminate illegal crossings through improved surveillance and stronger inter-agency cooperation.

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He said Nigeria had promoted a Cross-Border Cooperation Platform to strengthen understanding, information sharing and intelligence exchange with neighbouring countries.

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Adaji said the platform was intended to encourage Nigeria and its neighbours to collaborate in securing their respective territories.

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He said effective border management required security agencies to use technology, including surveillance systems and cameras, to monitor difficult areas.

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The director-general also emphasised the importance of border communities in detecting and reporting activities that could threaten national security.

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He said communities should be supported with necessary infrastructure to encourage their cooperation with authorities and strengthen their sense of belonging.

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Adaji said border management should simultaneously support security, trade and lawful migration in line with the ECOWAS framework.

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He stressed that clearly defined boundaries would enable security agencies to monitor and manage activities without unnecessarily restricting legitimate cross-border movement.

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Adaji stressed that stronger coordination among agencies and neighbouring countries remained essential to achieving that balance.

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