The recent arrest of 46 suspected irregular immigrants in Ogun State is a stark reminder of the vulnerability of many parts of the country to insecurity. The incident also reinforces the urgency to safeguard the country and police the countless border routes leading in and out of the country. For years, citizens have been inundated with reports, particularly on social media, of strangers pouring in, in droves, to the southern parts of the country. While many of them claimed to be indigenes of some northern states, many others are known to come from neighbouring countries and can hardly communicate in English. That constitutes a threat that is unfortunately manifesting in heightened insecurity across the land. Very sadly, Nigerians watch helplessly as governments at all levels seem to shrug off this seeming invasion of the country by external forces.
 
There are reported to be approximately 1,900 illegal border crossings in the country. They are porous and unmanned. These routes provide easy passage for immigrants. This is unacceptable. No serious country allows that level of porosity across its borders, certainly not a country grappling with terrorism and banditry. Countries that value homeland security do not leave their borders open. They do everything possible to man them and control the movement of aliens. Nigeria cannot afford to be different.
  
The late former President Muhammadu Buhari once lamented that only God could help police the country’s vast borders. He was obviously overwhelmed by the sheer size of the border and seeming impossibility of monitoring movement in and out of the country. But government cannot afford a defeatist attitude to problems of immigration, especially when this is tied to insecurity. There should be deliberate measures to safeguard the country and her citizens from threats posed by foreigners. For a start, the security operation that led to the arrest of immigrants in Ogun State should be a routine exercise to be regularly carried out in all parts of the country. 
 
Also, while it may not be easy to completely fence the country’s borders, closer attention should be given to suggestions along that line if indeed it offers a lasting solution.
  
The arrest of illegal immigrants was made possible through the combined efforts of the Department of State Security (DSS), the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS). The suspects comprised 36 males and 10 females, with 23 being nationals of Côte d’Ivoire, 18 from Burkina Faso, four from Togo and one from Senegal. They were picked up around Ijebu-Mushin and Ijebu Ilese communities of Ogun State. Investigations showed some of them have been in the country for six months without valid immigration documents. Some claim to be working for a certain QNET online marketing platform.
 
The QNET platform operates a global e-commerce-based direct marketing of health and wellness products.

If regulated, it can be a legitimate business opportunity for young school leavers and students to make a living. But it is infiltrated by other faceless networks that fake QNET’s identity for criminal or suspicious activities. This is a trigger for regional insecurity. There are reports of hundreds of young immigrants from fellow African countries flooding border communities of the Southwest in the name of faceless online marketing.
  
This particular arrest and others are commendable. Equally commendable is the intelligence that provided the tip-off. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds and thousands of foreign immigrants are coming into the country daily. All over the place, they operate commercial motorcycles, offering security services (mai guard) and doing other menial jobs. They are not documented. There are reports of syndicates that specialise in arranging their travels and logistics. Security and intelligence agencies must go after them and their sponsors.
  
Under the Nigeria Immigration Act, undocumented foreign nationals who enter the country or reside outside official legal documentation stand the risk of arrest, prosecution and summary deportation.

Those responsible should be swift in the legal and deportation processes.
 
The most worrying concern about illegal and irregular immigration is the propensity to fuel insecurity.

Some immigrants are reported to be victims of human traffickers who exploit the economic situation across the ECOWAS Sub Region to take advantage of job seekers. Some are young ladies lured into prostitution and other forms of illicit engagement. The Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) should urge its members’ governments to control movements across their borders.
  
A good number of the fighters who take up arms against Nigeria are said to be foreign terrorist recruits. Some are smuggled in by foreign economic interests to mine gold and other precious metals.

Others are mercenaries who train terrorists, such as members of Islamic State West Africa Province
(ISWAP), Jama’at Ahi as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-jihad (JAS/Boko Haram), and other groups taking advantage of the country’s porous borders and weak security machinery.
 
This is the time to seal up the country from illegal immigrants. The Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa, in June 2025, proposed the complete fencing of the country’s international borders to curb insecurity and the influx of foreign fighters. As Chief of Defence Staff at the time, he was aware of the harm porous borders pose to the country’s homeland security. This can very well be a phased project, but it requires due diligence to ensure that the efforts and expected expenditure are not rendered in vain. The country cannot afford at this time to leave its borders open to all manner of persons at these uncertain times.
  
Concerted efforts should be invested to police the over 4,000 kilometres of vast land and maritime borders. Where fencing is not feasible in immediate terms because of cost, advanced technology should be deployed to focus on the borders. Inter-agency cooperation is also required, beginning with intelligence sharing. Border communities should be encouraged to share information with security agencies.
 
Further, there should be proper screening of immigrants crossing into the country at regular border posts. The ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol, which allows citizens to migrate across borders without visas for 90 days, is reported to be exploited and abused by immigrants. Some are reported to evade screening while others are assisted by corrupt border officials to enter the country. Let there be proper vetting of those coming into the country. That will help to separate those who are genuine from others.
  
Many countries have elevated migration as a major policy concern. The election of leaders is now predicated on their immigration policies. Nigeria should not lag or be blackmailed by religious and tribal sentiments. The authorities should work towards a country that is efficient and strong; only after then can it lend help to needy neighbours.