2027 Polls: Mercenaries May Infiltrate Nigeria, NIS, DSS Warn

Security agencies have warned that criminal networks and foreign elements could exploit Nigeria’s borders to move illicit arms, mercenaries and other threats capable of undermining the 2027 general elections.

The warning came during a sensitisation workshop organised by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

Officials called for tighter border surveillance, intelligence sharing and coordinated operations before, during and after the elections.

The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap, in a keynote address delivered on her behalf by the Deputy Comptroller-General, Franca Nwanneka, said weaknesses at the country’s borders could create security risks during the electoral period.

She said the NIS must remain alert to irregular migration, human trafficking, migrant smuggling and other transnational crimes that could threaten national security and the electoral process.

“No single agency can address the complex security challenges confronting our nation in isolation. Our collective strength lies in our ability to work together, share timely information, and respond decisively to emerging threats,” Nandap said.

The workshop, themed, ‘The Strategic Role of the Nigeria Immigration Service in Election Monitoring and Management,’ brought together representatives of security agencies and other participants to discuss the role of immigration and border security in protecting the electoral process.

Nandap also warned immigration personnel against partisan activities, insisting that the Service must remain politically neutral throughout the electoral cycle.

She said official resources must not be used to advance partisan interests and directed officers to strengthen surveillance, intelligence gathering, personnel deployment and coordination with other security agencies.

Also speaking, the Deputy Director-General, Operations and Intelligence of the Department of State Services (DSS), Patrick Ikenweiwe, who represented the Director-General, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, warned that election periods could attract attempts to exploit Nigeria’s borders.

“Electoral periods attract attempts to exploit the country’s borders for the movement of illicit arms, mercenaries and other elements seeking to undermine the democratic process,” he said.

Ikenweiwe said closer intelligence sharing, joint threat assessments and coordinated operations, particularly along land borders and at entry points, would be necessary as the elections approached.

“No single agency can secure the electoral space alone. Our strength lies in absolute synergy,” he said, adding that “the DSS remains committed to deepening collaboration with the Nigeria Immigration Service through timely intelligence sharing, joint threat assessment and coordinated operations, particularly along our land borders and at entry points.”

He also urged security personnel to maintain neutrality and professionalism during the electoral period.

Similarly, the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ahmed Abubakar Audi, represented by Assistant Commandant-General David Idowu Ojelabi, said early preparations and cooperation among security agencies were necessary to protect the elections.

Audi said the Immigration Service had a central role in securing Nigeria’s land, air and maritime entry points and preventing threats, including possible foreign interference.

He said intelligence sharing could enable security agencies to act on threats identified outside their immediate areas of operation.

“No single agency sees the whole picture. The risk identified at one border post may be precisely the information another agency needs to prevent trouble in a different location,” he said.

The workshop also featured technical sessions on the role of the Immigration Service in election management, developments within the Service and the responsibilities of heads of formations under the Performance Evaluation and Results Management Information System (PERMIS).

The sessions were presented by an Assistant Comptroller-General of Immigration, DCI Patrick Odeh, and CSI Yussuff Olawale.