The Nigerian Government has deported 828 illegal immigrants in 2024 as part of its efforts to combat irregular migration and improve national security.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Olu, revealed this at a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
“In the last year, 137 victims of trafficking were intercepted, and in 2024 alone, 828 foreigners were repatriated by the Nigerian Immigration Service,” the minister said.
The government has also taken steps to modernise border operations and immigration systems, including integrating Nigerian passports into the International Civil Aviation Organisation Public Key Directory for seamless verification.
A centralised Visa Approval Centre has been set up in Abuja to streamline visa processing.
Additionally, an 8.3-petabyte data centre has been constructed, the largest in Nigeria, with solar-powered infrastructure to ensure continuous operation.
A command and control centre now monitors all land and air entry points, enhancing surveillance.
Tunji-Olu also noted that the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) cleared a backlog of 200,000 passport applications in three weeks in 2023, issuing 1,836,533 passports in 2024.
