The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has reassured Nigerians that the country’s land borders will not serve as unchecked entry points for the Ebola virus currently affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The Service stated that all official border crossings across the country are adequately manned, adding that advanced digital surveillance infrastructure has been deployed to monitor routes beyond the reach of physical personnel.
NIS spokesperson, Mr. Akinsola Akinlabi, gave the assurance during an interview with journalists amid growing concerns over Nigeria’s vulnerability to the Ebola outbreak in parts of Central and East Africa.
Nigeria shares more than 4,000 kilometres of land borders with neighbouring Benin Republic, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, with reports indicating the existence of several informal crossing routes outside official entry points.
However, Mr. Akinlabi dismissed suggestions that the nation’s borders are porous, insisting that immigration personnel are strategically stationed across border areas and supported by technology to effectively monitor difficult and remote locations.
According to him, the combined use of manpower and digital surveillance systems has significantly strengthened border security and enhanced the country’s capacity to detect and prevent unauthorised movements.
The NIS spokesperson reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to safeguarding the nation against any potential health threats, noting that border monitoring efforts have been intensified as part of broader preventive measures against the spread of Ebola into Nigeria.
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