The Nigeria Immigration Service has dismissed concerns that the country’s land borders could become easy entry routes for the Ebola virus currently spreading across parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The agency stated that all border routes into Nigeria were being monitored, stressing that no official crossing point was left unattended.
Speaking in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, the spokesperson for the NIS, Akinsola Akinlabi, said the service had strengthened border surveillance through a combination of personnel deployment and technology-driven monitoring systems.
According to him, travellers entering Nigeria through approved border routes are subjected to documentation and health checks, including the presentation of international health certificates.
“Our borders are not porous. Anyone coming into the country through our borders is known and must present the necessary documents, including an international health certificate,” Akinlabi said.
Nigeria shares over 4,000 kilometres of land borders with neighbouring countries including Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, with concerns often raised about illegal routes and informal crossings.
However, the immigration spokesman argued that describing Nigeria’s borders as porous was inaccurate, insisting that all recognised border posts were properly manned.
“For us, a porous border is one that is not manned. All our borders are manned. The real challenge is the vastness of the borders and how government continues to address those challenges,” he stated.
Akinlabi further disclosed that the Federal Government had deployed modern surveillance infrastructure to strengthen border management in difficult terrains.
He identified the Integrated Border Management System and the Migration Information and Data Analysis System as key tools helping immigration authorities track movements and improve border security.
“Apart from having officers on ground, government has invested heavily in technology to help us monitor the borders efficiently and close surveillance gaps,” he added.
The NIS also assured Nigerians that the agency would work closely with health authorities in responding to any possible threat linked to the Ebola outbreak.
According to Akinlabi, the service would rely on advisories and threat assessments from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Ministry of Health before activating additional emergency protocols.
“We are waiting for guidance from the relevant health agencies on the threat level. As the Immigration Service, we are always ready to play our role in securing the borders,” he said.
The World Health Organisation had on May 17 declared the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern after the disease reportedly killed dozens and spread into neighbouring Uganda.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has already recorded hundreds of suspected cases and over 100 deaths, according to health authorities.
Despite rising concerns across Africa, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has maintained that no confirmed Ebola case linked to the current outbreak has been detected in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria recently announced the intensification of health screening procedures at international airports, especially for passengers arriving from high-risk regions.
