Mustapha Sani, the Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in charge of the Jibia Special Border Command in Katsina State, has cautioned Nigerians not to travel to Niger Republic.
This is linked to the conflict in Niger Republic, which resulted from a coup. Sanctions have been imposed on the West African country as a result of the development.
He spoke during a joint celebration with the Katsina State Command of the NIS on Thursday to honor the service’s 60th anniversary.
“Nigerians should stay at home and not attempt to go to the Niger Republic until the embargo is lifted. And we are determined to return any Nigerien we catch who is planning to come to this country,” he said.
According to Sani, the Service is deploying men to patrol the Katsina border to help curb illicit migration from Niger Republic.
“Despite the fact that we are divided by colonial masters, we share certain things in common like religion and culture, and that doesn’t guarantee them to enter Nigeria without valid documents.
“We have already put our officers on alert and we have already deployed some to go and man the orthodox routes through which some of the foreigners use to enter into Nigeria and from what we have on the ground, we know it will be impossible for them to enter into Nigeria.
“We have already stationed our officers at strategic places for stop and search as usual.”
