…..officers applaud CG NIS for MIDAS, Forensic machine deployment
Officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos are happy with the new technology deployed by the NIS Comptroller General Immigration, Muhammed Babandede to assist them carryout their duties seamlessly.
These include the Forensic data machine and the Migration Information Data Analysis System, MIDAS.
This is just as the NIS at the airport recorded and processed departures of 37,000 passengers and 58,000 arrivals since the reopening of the airport on September 5th till date.
Speaking on its activities at the airport, the airport Comptroller, Abdullahi Musa Usman said, passenger traffic was getting better and normalcy gradually being restored.
In the months under review, Usman stated that 60 Nigerians mostly females were denied departures from the airport as the Service through its profiling of the passengers detected they were about to be trafficked.
He said, during interrogation, the suspected traffickers could not explain or say what they were going to do in their destination or who they were going to visit or stay with, adding that some of them did not even have BTA for their journeys.
Usman stated that with the NIS synergy with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, the 60 Nigerians have been handed over to the agency to take over from where they stopped.
“They are going for a visit without return tickets, a woman said she was going to visit her husband, give us the details of your husband, marriage certificate she became jittery and could not answer our questions, should we allow such people to go”.
The NIS MMIA Lagos boss also disclosed that 75 Nigerians were repatriated back from different countries in the EU and the Middle East while 22 foreigners were denied entry into Nigeria without visas.
“They were repatriated for immigration offences and for drugs”.
He said with the deployment of the Forensic data machine to verify passenger passport and the MIDAS, all passengers are effectively captured, adding that the Comptroller General Immigration had made their job seamless.
“All the entry points at the MMIA, they all have MIDAS, we have at the cargo, presidential wing, executive jet private terminal, we are very prepared, we are well equipped now, all the entry points in Lagos are equipped with MIDAS and equipped with data forensic machines meaning nobody comes in, nobody goes out without passing through the system and we are taking a very good advantage of the technology that was given us by the Comptroller General of the Immigration Service”.
Usman noted that the service had carryout sensitization of passengers to help know and understand what was required of them for smooth airport facilitation, adding that they have also given travel advisory to passengers.
He maintained that the synergy between the NIS and other agencies have been cordial in ensuring the safety and security at the airport.
The NIS MMIA has been commended for the sincerity of one of its officers who returned money left at the counter by a passenger.
The Comptroller General Immigration Muhammed Babadede gave the commendation in Abuja for the officer dedication to duty, making the Service proud and the nation.
