Kwara pushes for enhanced frontier monitoring to curb unlawful cross-border movements

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The Kwara State Government has announced plans to strengthen collaboration with the Nigeria Immigration Service and other security agencies to tighten border surveillance and curb illegal migration as part of efforts to tackle insecurity and human trafficking in the state.

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The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Ibrahim Sulyman, disclosed this during separate visits to the Kwara State Commands of the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Ilorin.

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The development was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the Press Secretary of the Kwara State Ministry of Justice, Janet Bogunjoko, as the state prepares to commemorate the 2026 World Day Against Human Trafficking on July 30.

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Sulyman, who is also the Chairman of the Kwara State Task Force on Human Trafficking, said the visits were aimed at strengthening collaboration with relevant security agencies to address insecurity and curb human trafficking across the state.

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Represented by the Director of the Gender-Based Violence Response Unit of the Ministry of Justice and Secretary of the task force, Funke Balogun, the commissioner said this year’s celebration has the theme, “Trapped Behind the Scam.”

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He lamented the influx of irregular migrants into the state without proper profiling, describing the development as a growing security concern.

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“This irregular migration is not unconnected with the issue of terrorism, kidnapping and banditry that found their ways into our state. Before now, Kwara State has been a very peaceful state,” Sulyman said.

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He added that while every Nigerian has the constitutional right to reside in any part of the country, migrants entering the state should have legitimate reasons for doing so.

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“No Nigerian can be denied the right of living in any state of their choice, but every migrant into the state must come with a purpose,” he said.

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The commissioner said tackling insecurity in the state requires improved data tracking and proper profiling of migrants through coordinated efforts among security agencies at the borders and across the state.

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“Finding a solution to the state’s insecurity challenges begins with checking illegal migration of people into Kwara State through data tracking and proper profiling, which can be achieved through collaborative efforts with appropriate authorities both at the state borders and in their different offices across the state,” he said.

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Sulyman urged the NIS, NSCDC and other security agencies to support the state government’s efforts to combat human trafficking, describing the fight as a difficult but necessary task.

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The Kwara State Coordinator of the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour, Olufemi Oyedeji, called for “decisive action against human trafficking, noting that women and girls remain the most vulnerable victims.”

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Responding, the Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kwara State Command, Hussain Ibrahim, represented by Deputy Comptroller Saka Jimoh, “pledged the command’s support for the state task force through logistics and other areas required to combat human trafficking.”

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Jimoh also urged the task force to extend its sensitisation campaign to markets and religious centres to expose the tactics used by traffickers and prevent residents from falling victim.

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Also speaking, the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Kwara State, Abbas Mohammed, pledged the corps’ continued support for the task force.

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Mohammed said the NSCDC would strengthen collaboration with the Nigeria Immigration Service at the state’s borders to prevent human trafficking and enhance security in the state.

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