By Henry Nkom

With the rising wave of transborder crimes, human trafficking and other immigration related offences, the Nigeria Immigration Service, Akwa Ibom State command has expressed its inability to check the perpetrators of these crimes as a result of inadequate facilities at its disposal. In a welcome address at the Immigration stakeholders Forum, the comptroller of Immigration Service in Akwa Ibom State, Sir, William Park while listing the responsibilities of the service to include combating human trafficking, terrorism, identify fraud, drug trafficking, gunrunning, illegal bunkering and cross border crimes maintained that with the increase of these crimes the command in Akwa Ibom faces huge challenges due to non-availability of some vital facilities.
Mr. Park noted that Akwa Ibom State has the longest coast line in Nigeria with very difficult and unfriendly topography, yet there are no patrol boats to cover the area. “Today, there are a lot of unmanned beaches and jetties that stretch our limited personnel to cover, regularly but the required logistics is not available” the comptroller said while enumerating the challenges of the command in the state.
Mr. Park white high lighting the danger to the lives of men of the command in the line of duty as they are hunted by criminals said officers and men of the command do not have barracks for accommodation and ease of mobilization in emergency. The comptroller however noted that in the midst of the difficulties faced by the Akwa Ibom State command of the immigration it had achieved some successes.
He said with the arrest and prosecution last year of 37 persons who were involved in human trafficking, its incidence has reduced. Mr. Park said further that there had been increased patrol of the waters ways and creeks by men of the command.
The Immigration Comptroller however said” it could be better if he state government, public spirited companies and individuals assisted the command to solve its logistic problems. He commended the state government for the people oriented projects it was embarking on and also thanked Exxon Mobil Nigeria Unlimited for sponsoring the Stakeholder Forum which was meant to sensitize stakeholders on the challenges of the Nigeria Immigration Service in securing the nation and lead them to understand how they could work with the immigration service to ensure national security.
Responding to the demands of the Comptroller of Immigration in Akwa Ibomn State, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio declaring the stakeholder Forum open said the president Umaru Yar'Adua Administration believed in the rule of law and part of it was equitable distribution of resources to various departments stating that in no distant time the federal government will meet the needs of the state command of the Immigration service.
The Governor who was represented by his deputy, Engr. Patrick Ekpotu also promised the command that the state government will look into its demands of the command and consider possible areas of assisting it. He however called on the Nigeria Immigration service to improve on its performance by being more disciplined and committed to its assignment.
The representative of Exxon Mobil Producing Unlimited, the Human Resources manager, Mr. Segun Oluwole said as a company which benefits greatly from the service of the Nigeria Immigration Service, it believes that, it should support the activities of the command to improve its performance. While appreciating the efforts of the comptroller, Mr. William Park for making the service in the state professional thereby improving service delivery he called on the command to set up one more Immigration out post in Eket to assist the expatriate population of MPN to easily access its services. The one day Stakeholders. Forum attended by politicians, captains of industry, top civil servants, traditional rulers and people from all walks of life witnessed the presentation of various paper on how to improve national security.