An immigration expert and public affairs analyst, Ambassador Hussaini Coomassie, has called for comprehensive reforms of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), urging the Federal Government to revive and strengthen Divisional Immigration Offices in all 774 Local Government Areas of the country.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Coomassie said Nigeria’s growing security challenges—including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, human trafficking, transnational organised crime and irregular migration—require a stronger, better-equipped and more responsive Immigration Service capable of safeguarding the nation’s borders and supporting internal security.

He argued that immigration security should extend beyond airports, seaports and major border posts to communities at the grassroots, where early warning signs of security threats are often first identified.

According to him, revitalising Divisional Immigration Offices nationwide would significantly improve intelligence gathering, migration management and community-based security operations.

Coomassie also urged the Federal Government to establish a Special Intervention Fund to modernise and strengthen the operational capacity of the Nigeria Immigration Service.

He said the intervention should provide every Divisional Immigration Office with essential infrastructure, including patrol vehicles, office accommodation, staff quarters, modern communication equipment, surveillance technology and other operational logistics needed for effective service delivery.

The immigration expert further advocated stricter monitoring of hotels and guest houses across the country, recommending that all hospitality establishments be required to submit daily guest manifests to relevant security agencies to enhance intelligence gathering and crime prevention.

He stressed that security threats are not limited to large hotels, noting that criminal and terrorist elements could exploit any accommodation facility if proper monitoring mechanisms are not in place.

Coomassie also called for the reintegration of traditional institutions into Nigeria’s security architecture, saying traditional rulers, district heads, ward leaders and other community stakeholders possess valuable local knowledge that can strengthen intelligence gathering and facilitate early detection of suspicious activities.

He maintained that closer collaboration between traditional institutions and security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Immigration Service, would enhance community policing and improve national security outcomes.

The immigration expert expressed concern that the Nigeria Immigration Service remains underfunded, under-equipped and overstretched despite its strategic responsibility for border management, migration control and regulating the movement of persons into and out of the country.

He emphasised that increased investment in personnel, technology and operational infrastructure is essential to enable the Service effectively discharge its constitutional responsibilities.

Coomassie described the Nigeria Immigration Service as a critical symbol of Nigeria’s sovereignty and national image, being both the country’s first point of contact for visitors and the final point of departure for travellers leaving the country.

He called on the Federal Government to prioritise comprehensive immigration reforms, insisting that a secure Nigeria depends on a modern, mobile, technologically advanced and adequately funded Nigeria Immigration Service.