Nigerian Police deploy airboats for border patrol

The Nigerian Police Force Public Relations Officer, Moshood Jimoh, has confirmed that the organisation’s intelligence operatives and special forces are prepared to combat any terrorist threat in collaboration with other security services.

But when asked about it response to the AU intelligence report, the Nigeria Immigration Service said it had started carrying out community border security to further strengthen intelligence gathering at the country’s land and marine borders.

The NIS Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sunday James, told one of our correspondents that the new approach to border security involved immigration officers and community leaders.

He said, “We are implementing the community border patrol to strengthen security at the borders. The programme would involve our officers in the local government areas, heads of wards and local government chairmen.

“We have upgraded our officers in the local governments to regional officers to champion the programme; they would engage in intelligence gathering for us. So, we are empowering the unit at the grassroots.”

James also stated that the NIS planned to deploy gunboats to monitor the riverine areas, as well as three surveillance aircraft to patrol areas that couldn’t be manned by its operatives.

He said, “With these, nobody would be able to infiltrate the country because the areas through which people enter the country are via water and land borders.

“The Comptroller General of the service (Muhammed Babandede, MFR) has been directing his focus towards the two routes. With this new approach, I don’t think there is anything that can elude us.”

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )