Nigeria to modernise border management using technology, intelligence – Officials

The Nigerian government has called for stronger collaboration among security agencies, universities, regional institutions, border communities and development partners as it moves to modernise the country’s border management system through technology, intelligence sharing and evidence-based policymaking.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the call on Monday at the opening of the African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE) 2026 conference in Lagos, where participants examined the changing security, economic and socio-cultural dynamics of Africa’s borderlands.

Mr Tunji-Ojo, who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Policy, Kareem Olajoku, said stronger partnerships were necessary to address emerging threats while facilitating legitimate movement, trade and regional integration.

The four-day conference was themed: ‘Connected Borderlands, Socio-Cultural Integration, and the Centrality of Policy, Research, and Security.’

PREMIUM TIMES reports that Nigeria faces many security threats, including jihadi terrorism, human trafficking, arms trade, and smuggling.

Many of these crimes are coordinated across porous borders.

Through its borders with countries in the troubled Sahel and Lake Chad regions, Nigeria has experienced infiltration of armed actors, further complicating its war on insurgency and other internal security challenges.

Nigeria embraces technology-driven border management

In her remarks, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, said Nigeria was strengthening its border management architecture through digital technology, biometric identity systems, intelligence sharing and improved collaboration with border communities.

She said changing migration patterns, cross-border economic activities, regional integration and emerging security threats had made it necessary for governments to rethink how borders are managed.

According to her, borders should no longer be regarded simply as geographical lines separating countries but as dynamic spaces where families, communities and cultures interact and where legitimate trade and movement take place.

She said threats, including human trafficking, migrant smuggling, identity fraud, organised crime, terrorism and cyber-enabled crimes, increasingly operate across national boundaries.

“Addressing them requires us to work differently and, importantly, to work together,” she said.

Ms Nandap said the NIS was combining the professional experience of its officers with technology, intelligence and institutional cooperation to identify emerging risks earlier and improve responses.

She recalled that Nigeria became the first African country to introduce the electronic passport in 2007 and has since upgraded its passport system with enhanced security and biometric features.

The service has also automated passport applications, payments, processing and identity verification, while the centralisation of passport personalisation has improved the integrity and efficiency of passport production.

Nigeria’s participation in the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Public Key Directory, she added, has strengthened the authentication of Nigerian electronic passports, while contactless biometric passport services have expanded access for Nigerians living abroad.

E-gates, surveillance and intelligence

Ms Nandap also highlighted the deployment of automated border control systems, including e-gates at international airports, which combine biometric verification with faster passenger processing.

She said the measures were being complemented by investments in surveillance systems, command and control capabilities, communications infrastructure, as well as integrated border and data platforms covering Nigeria’s air, land and maritime borders.

But she stressed that the investments were not intended to make technology an end in itself.

“Their fundamental purpose is to enhance the capacity of our officers to make timely and well-informed decisions, identify emerging risks at an earlier stage, improve operational coordination, and facilitate the seamless movement of legitimate travellers while safeguarding national security,” she said.

Border communities as security partners

Mr Tunji-Ojo similarly called for greater attention to communities living along Nigeria’s borders, saying they are often the first to experience the consequences of insecurity and irregular migration.

He said such communities should not be treated merely as populations requiring protection but as important partners in security, early warning, conflict prevention and effective border management.

“Building a resilient borderline therefore requires us to see border communities not merely as populations to be secured but as partners in security, peace and development,” he said.

The minister said Nigeria’s ongoing improvements in biometric identity systems, passport administration, automated border control and technology-enabled security reflected the government’s determination to build a border management system that protects national security while facilitating legitimate travel and regional mobility.

He also stressed the importance of evidence-based research, saying researchers should help governments anticipate emerging challenges rather than merely explain past developments.

Lagos as a gateway

Mr Tunji-Ojo described Lagos as an appropriate location for the conference because of its strategic position as a major gateway for the movement of people and goods through its land connections, seaports and international airports.

He said the state offered an important setting for discussions on the intersection of security, mobility, trade, community relations and regional integration.

He commended Lagos State University (LASU) and ABORNE for co-hosting the conference, describing their partnership as an example of how academic research and practical experience could be combined to address contemporary security challenges.

The Vice Chancellor of LASU, Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, said the conference went beyond hosting an international academic gathering, describing it as an affirmation of the university’s commitment to producing research that responds to Nigeria’s realities and Africa’s development needs.

She said Africa needed a new generation of scholars and professionals who understood that borders were not merely physical boundaries but spaces shaped by communities, livelihoods, identity, security, development and human mobility.

ABORNE seeks stronger link between research and policy

The chairperson of ABORNE, Paul Nugent, said emerging health threats such as Ebola and COVID-19, as well as regional insurgencies, had repeatedly placed African borders at the centre of political and security interventions, often resulting in prolonged border closures.

He said ABORNE sought to bridge the gap between academia and policy by engaging border enforcement agencies, policymakers and field practitioners.

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Mr Nugent said the network also aimed to challenge perceptions of African borderlands as places defined mainly by insecurity and poor reputation, arguing that they could also serve as vibrant centres of trade, urban innovation and cultural creativity.

Mr Tunji-Ojo urged participants to move beyond identifying problems and focus on practical, collaborative and sustainable solutions.

He said ABORNE 2026 provided an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between knowledge and action, communities and institutions, and national security and regional cooperation.

He expressed hope that partnerships established at the conference would continue beyond the event and that the research generated would contribute to policymaking and border management across Nigeria, West Africa and the wider African continent.