Nigeria Immigration Service

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) was extracted from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in August, 1958. It was at that time referred to as the Immigration Department and headed by the Chief Federal Immigration Officer (CFIO).

The Immigration Department was established by an Act of Parliament (Cap 171, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) on August 1, 1963 when Alhaji Shehu Shagari was the Minister of Internal Affairs (a position now referred to as Minister of Interior).

The initial Law regulating Immigration Duties was the Immigration Act of 1963 which was amended in 2014 and again in 2015 (Immigration Act, 2015).

The Service has from 1963 been restructured to manage modern migration in line with global, regional and sub-regional political alignments.

The NIS has leveraged the use of Information and Communication Technologies in its operations including:

• The introduction of the machine readable electronic passport in 2007
• The creation of a Service website and portal
• Global Passport intervention in line with the Federal Government Policy on Citizenship Diplomacy
• Forensic laboratory services for the examination of travel documents and monetary instruments
• The introduction of the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC)

As empowered by Section 2 the Immigration Act, 2015, the Service is responsible for:

• The control of persons entering or leaving Nigeria
• The issuance of travel documents, including Nigerian passports, to bonafide Nigerians within and outside Nigeria
• The issuance of residence permits to foreigners in Nigeria
• Border surveillance and patrol
• Enforcement of laws and regulations with which they are directly charged; and
• The performance of such para-military duties within or outside Nigeria as may be required of them under the authority of this Act or any other enactment

The Nigeria Immigration Service has been under the leadership of the following from inception:

• E. H. Harrison, Esq (Chief Federal Immigration Officer) from 1962 - 1966
• J. E. Onugogu, Esq (Chief Federal Immigration Officer) from 1966 - 1967
• Alayedeino, Esq (Chief Federal Immigration Officer) from 1967 - 1976
• Alhaji Aliyu Muhammed (Director of Immigration) from 1977 - 1979
• Alhaji Lawal Sambo (Director of Immigration) from 1979 -1985
• Muhammed Damulak, Esq (Director of Immigration) from 1985 - 1990
• Alhaji Garba Abbas (last Director of Immigration, 1st Comptroller-General Immigration Service - CGIS) from 1990 - 1995
• Alhaji Sahabi Abubakar (Comptroller-General Immigration Service - CGIS) from 1995 - 1999
• Alhaji U. K. Umar (Acting Comptroller-General Immigration Service - Ag. CGIS) from 1999 - 2000
• Lady U. C. Nwizu (Comptroller-General Immigration Service - CGIS) from 2000 - 2004
• Mr. Chukwurah Joseph Udeh (Comptroller-General Immigration Service - CGIS) from 2005 - 2010
• Mrs. Rose Chinyere Uzoma (Comptroller-General Immigration Service - CGIS) from 2010 - 2013
• Rilwan Bala Musa,mni (Acting Comptroller-General Immigration Service - Ag. CGIS) 2013
• David Shikfu Parradang,mni (Comptroller-General Immigration Service - CGIS) from 2013 - 2015
• Martin Kure Abeshi (Comptroller-General Immigration Service - CGIS) from 2015 - 2016
• Muhammed Babandede,MFR (Comptroller-General Immigration Service - CGIS) from 2016 - date

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References

1. Immigration Act, 2015
2. About the Nigeria Immigration Service http://immigration.gov.ng/index.php?id=3
3. About the Nigeria Immigration Service http://portal.immigration.gov.ng/pages/about