IOM, NIS partner to raise awareness on SoM, TiP across Nigeria

NIS is one of IOM’s major government partners on migration. IOM works closely with NIS on issues of migration management, immigration, and border management to strengthen its personnel capacity, improve border surveillance and patrol, provide post-arrival assistance and support to returned migrants.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in partnership with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has launched a nationwide sensitization and enlightenment campaign on the issue of Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Persons (TIP) within and outside the borders of Nigeria. The campaign started November 10^th at Ogun State and will be concluded in Abuja in January 2023.

The Assistant Comptroller General, Angela Eskhaigbe, stated that the purpose of the nationwide sensitization is to create awareness of the smuggling of migrants, and trafficking in persons across all immigration Commands. Also, it is aimed at promoting safe migration and national security in Nigeria.

Since April 2017, the IOM Nigeria has assisted in the return of over 28,000 Nigerian migrants from 82 countries. Out of this number, more than 3,600 are victims of trafficking and have received in-kind support to start businesses of their choice.

The efforts to tackle TiP and SoM are supported by the Government of Denmark, the Government of the United Kingdom and Northern Island, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the German Federal Office and German Cooperation, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the project “NIS Training Strategy Implementation Program- Phase 2” and the “Cooperation on Migration and Partnerships for Sustainable Solutions initiative” (COMPASS), and the Migrants as Messengers Project