The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has cautioned that deceptive job offers, false promises, and widespread misinformation continue to expose unsuspecting citizens to severe human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and organized travel fraud.
The agency emphasized that even the most advanced technological and physical border controls cannot single-handedly solve Nigeria’s irregular migration crisis without public awareness and cross-agency intelligence sharing.
​The warning was delivered on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, during the Stakeholders’ Sensitisation and Engagement Seminar held at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja. The event, themed “Bridging the Information Gap: Promoting Informed, Safe and Regular Migration,” brought together key actors from security agencies, civil society, traditional institutions, and international organisations.
​Speaking at the event, the Controller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (CGIS), Kemi Nanna Nandap, stressed that border surveillance alone is insufficient to halt illegal migration channels. Her address was delivered by the Deputy Comptroller General (DCG) in charge of the Visa and Residency Directorate, Franca Usiwoma Nwanneka, who declared the event open on her behalf.
​Nandap explained that human trafficking, migrant smuggling, travel fraud, and irregular migration stem directly from critical gaps in information and poor intelligence sharing among operational stakeholders. She noted that preventing these risks requires far more than physical border security; it fundamentally begins with equipping prospective migrants with accurate, timely, and reliable information to make informed decisions and pursue safe, lawful migration pathways.
​While highlighting ongoing institutional reforms, including the deployment of modern border management technologies, intelligence gathering, and improved service delivery, the NIS leadership observed that technology alone cannot dismantle fraudulent recruitment syndicates or address the root factors driving irregular migration.
​The gathering, which featured goodwill messages from key partners including the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), and Senior Programme Associate Nnenna Onuoha of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), called for a unified front against fraudulent travel operations.
​To bridge existing information gaps, the Immigration Service urged prospective travelers to consistently verify job offers, academic opportunities, and visa arrangements through official government channels before making financial payments or travel commitments.
Operational agencies agreed to strengthen inter-agency intelligence networks to better detect and dismantle criminal syndicates running fraudulent travel agencies and human smuggling rings.
​Additionally, the NIS called on traditional rulers, civil society organizations, and community leaders to actively participate in grassroots outreach. By delivering accurate migration guidance directly to local communities, stakeholders aim to protect vulnerable young Nigerians from deceptive promises and promote regular migration as the safest path forward.
