The Federal Government has deported 828 illegal immigrants in 2024 as part of its efforts to tackle irregular migration and bolster national security. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Olu, revealed this during a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
Highlighting key achievements, the minister stated, “Over the past year, 137 victims of trafficking have been intercepted, and in 2024 alone, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) repatriated 828 foreigners.”
The government has also introduced sweeping reforms to modernize border management and immigration systems. Among these is the integration of Nigerian passports into the International Civil Aviation Organisation Public Key Directory, enabling seamless global verification. A centralised Visa Approval Centre has been established in Abuja to streamline the visa application process.
To support these initiatives, the government constructed an 8.3-petabyte data centre—the largest in Nigeria—and introduced solar-powered infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted operations. Additionally, a command and control centre now enables real-time monitoring of all land and air entry points, significantly enhancing surveillance.
The minister also revealed that the NIS cleared a backlog of 200,000 passport applications within three weeks in 2023 and issued over 1.8 million passports in 2024, underscoring the government’s commitment to efficiency and improved service delivery.