Those against Buhari govt’s e-registration of illegal migrants lack ‘depth of understanding’-BMO

Responding to critics of the proposed e-registration of irregular migrants in the country, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has stated that only those who lack depth of understanding would criticise the policy intended to tackle security challenges and improve Nigeria’s database.

A six-month amnesty period had been given for illegal migrants in the country to present themselves to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) for electronic registration.

However, some had described it as a backdoor to unleash an “army of occupation” on Nigerians.

BMO, in a statement signed by its chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and secretary Cassidy Madueke, stated that the criticisms showed faulty logic and needless politicking.

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“The initiative launched by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, is aimed at ensuring proper documentation of illegal migrants in the country. This has become more imperative, beyond the fact that it ordinarily should be the case, given the high rate of criminality being perpetrated by immigrants from some of Nigeria’s neighbouring countries,” it said

“It is faulty logic and needless politicking for anyone, whoever they are, to suggest that such an initiative is aimed at giving Nigerians status of the like of “Fulani herdsmen” migrants. It is too simplistic and a very poor appreciation of Nigeria’s security challenges to make such an allegation. The policy has nothing to do with the “Fulani herdsmen” – who are being needlessly targeted by ethnic bigots.

“The Nigerian Police have on some occasions paraded foreigners involved in heinous crimes such as banditry and kidnapping. Hence the need for such registration. Nigeria also needs to know all the migrants operating within its borders, and what intents they have. We need to know who is who and what they are in Nigeria to do.

“Anybody that criticises this policy of e-registration of illegal migrants in the country lacks depth of understanding and is taking a political and sentimental approach to the serious business of securing our country and should not be taken seriously”, the group added.

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