Nigeria, China agree to share intelligence on migration, border security

Nigeria’s Immigration Service and China’s National Immigration Administration have agreed to deepen cooperation on migration management, border security, and intelligence sharing.

The development was disclosed in a statement signed by the NIS Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, on Sunday in Abuja.

The agreement was reached during a bilateral meeting between Comptroller-General of Immigration Kemi Nandap and senior Chinese immigration officials in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Sub-Forum on Migration Management Cooperation held from September 8 to 11, which brought together more than 2,000 participants from 139 countries and international organisations.

What the NIS is saying

NIS Public Relations Officer SPRO Akinsola Akinlabi said the Comptroller-General used the bilateral session to reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening international partnerships as a tool for securing its borders and managing migration more effectively.

• “The NIS presentation centered on Nigeria’s role in combating document fraud and falsification of records, highlighting the efforts of the Service in strengthening document verification and border security,” he said.

He said Nandap reaffirmed the NIS’s commitment to strengthening international partnerships, intelligence sharing, and technical cooperation to promote secure borders and effective migration management.

The proposed areas of cooperation include technical exchanges, information sharing, and capacity-building initiatives, areas the NIS said reflect the growing need for coordinated responses to migration-related security threats.

Beyond the bilateral session with China, the NIS also participated in a roundtable discussion at the sub-forum focused on Nigeria’s role in combating document fraud and falsification of records.

Akinlabi said Nigeria’s participation at the forum provided an opportunity to share the country’s experiences with other delegations while learning from international approaches to migration management, document security, and border control.

The sub-forum served as a platform for participating countries and organisations to deliberate on strengthening international cooperation in migration management and responding to emerging transnational challenges.

Get up to speed

The latest agreement with China comes as Nigeria continues to strengthen its border security and migration management systems through technology and international cooperation.

• In July, Nairametrics reported that Nigeria had adopted the International Civil Aviation Organization’s e-passport verification system, allowing Nigerian electronic passports to be authenticated at border control points in ICAO member states.
• The NIS said the development would strengthen the integrity of Nigerian travel documents and international border security cooperation.
• The Service has also expanded its use of technology for migration control.

In June 2025, the NIS received document verification and border management tools from the Netherlands, while a 24-hour real-time border surveillance system was launched in October 2024 to monitor Nigeria’s land, maritime and air borders and support collaboration with international security agencies.

What you should know

Nigeria’s border management has continued to evolve as the government balances the need to facilitate movement with security concerns around its land borders.

In August, Nairametrics reported that the Federal Government had reopened several border posts that were previously closed, including Kamba in Kebbi State and Tsamiya, linking Nigeria with Niger Republic and Benin Republic respectively.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said some border closures in the North-East were instead linked to security concerns.