BY PETER DADA
LAGOS- The Assistant Comptroller-General ( ACG ) in charge of Nigerian Immigration Service ( NIS) Ikeja Zone “A” , Mr Olakunle Osisanya, has described the hardships usually faced by smuggled migrants traveling illegally overseas as near – to – death experience.
ACG Osisanya, who represented the Comptroller – General of Immigration Service ( CGIS), Mr Idris Jere, stated this at the awareness walk and campaign against smuggling of migrants organised by the Murtala Mohammed International Airport ( MMIA) Command of NIS on Friday in Lagos.
The ACG said that about 50 per cent of migrants smuggled were targeted for organ harvesting.
He described migrant smuggling as a scourge and a menace that needed to be tackled in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event had: “Saying No to Migrants Smuggling is our Collective Responsibility, ” as its theme.
While commending the MMIA Command of NIS for the campaign , Osisanya recalled that Immigration Act of 2015, mentioned smuggling of migrants 52 times.
He said that the world had become a global village, so the need to search for greener pastures continues and this requires legitimate means of traveling by prospective travellers.
“However, not everyone has the required skill to get international Visa and this is the point at which the smugglers surfaced.
“The smugglers will assure the victims that the visa they could not get at embassies and high commissions will surface through the back doors.
” The smugglers will sweet talk the victims and convey them through illegal routes to Europe and other international countries.
” If 100 people follow the illegal routes and 10 arrived safely, it is miracle , the remaining 90 will never be seen again.
” We don’t get to see the victims mostly after they might have been consumed by wild animals , died from sicknesses or their organs had been harvested’ ” he said.
He begged parents to stop pushing their children to smugglers.
According to him , no country is exempted from economic hardship; moreover, America and United Kingdom are not garnished with dollars or pounds.
The Comptroller in charge of the MMIA Command, Mrs Adeola Adesokan, speaking at the programme said that migrants’ smuggling had exposed Nigerian young men and women to modern-day sexual slavery, exploitation, hard drugs and abusive labour.
She said that the command would increase its campaigns, summon all techniques against smuggling of migrants and ensure the routes would be miserable for miscreants and traffickers.
” I plead with school kids, pupils , market women , mothers , traditional rulers , churches , industry captains, youth corps members , members of the diplomatic corps, sister agencies , among others at this campaign ground to convey this message to their constituencies to prevent others from falling victims.
Adesokan said that no fewer than 2,057 smuggled migrants had been deported through MMIA since the beginning of 2022.
“During the same period, 181 persons consisted of 143 males and 38 females were refused departure due to non-compliance with travelling procedures.”
NAN reports that NIS, in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, on Sept. 14, 2022 unveiled the Observatory Report on Smuggling of Migrants.
The report aimed at unravelling the dynamics of smuggling of migrants through and to Nigeria, between 2019 and 2021(NAN)
