THE GUARDIAN
23 February, 2013
THE Comptroller General of Immigration,
Rilwanu Bala Musa, said that arrangements have already been completed by the NIS to connect all border control posts to the Nigerian Satellite System (NISS) to enable officers and men “effectively monitor” activities in the borders areas from its Abuja headquarters.
Musa spoke Friday when he paid a
courtesy visit to Yobe State Governor,
Ibrahim Gaidam at the Government House, Damaturu, in continuation of his
familiarization tour of NIS formations and facilities in the Northeast sub-region.
He told the governor that surveillance
cameras initially mounted to monitor
and control movement of people in and
out of the country, have failed to track
and monitor the influx of illegal aliens
and activities of terrorists. The affected border posts in the sub-region, he said, include Machinna, Yunusari, Banki, Damasak, Kirawa, Dabar Masara, Sauro Maina and Gamboru/Ngala with Chad.
“When we put the surveillance camera
at Banki, in Borno State, it was blown
off. That is why we went back to the
drawing board to connect the satellite
to all the control posts, so that whatever
is happening, we will be able to see it from Abuja,” Musa said.
He said the visit to two of the states in the sub-region was to assess what is on
ground and the challenges of insecurity
at the border areas with three
neigbouring countries of Niger,
Cameroun and Chad. Musa described the border areas of the country as porous, adding that this was why more border posts would be established and equipped to check the influx of illegal immigrants and activities of terrorists in the sub-region.
Beegeagle's Blog 
What of the over 1000 un-official border crossings? How are they going to monitor those?
I’m of the opinion that the FG should get more ATR-42 surveyor patrol aircraft specially equipped for border patrol, with a satellite data link to ground based personnel who are either in patrol vehicles or motorcycles, who should be in positions to move in to intercept any fishy movement.
i don’t want to be cynical because two days ago i had written a very critical posts about the penny pinching ways of the f.g. IF THEY ARE ACTUALLY SERIOUS we shall wait and see that is the mode I will follow it should not be the f.g. has to be embarrassed into action every human life is sacred not based on the color of one’s skin so for now i say monitor these border posts.
‘If Education is expensive, try ignorance’-Motto of the Nigeria Union of Teachers. I would substitute ‘security’ and ‘lack of security’ for education and ignorance respectively. We have tried ‘lack-of-security’ and I bet, even a blind Nigerian can feel its impact.
The FG has been paying lip service to the issue of border patrol (Sea, Air and Land) and as long as this continues, we will continue to have serious problems with internal security because:
1) Nigeria’s borders is just too vast.
2) We are surrounded by many failed and semi-failed states that lack the wherewithall to police/enforce there laws.
3) We are in close proximity with a number of overtly/covertly Jihadist states.
In as much as it is impactical and it will be very expensive to build walls along our borders with our neighbours, the only practical solution is to deploy simple but effective technology to patrol and survey these area.
Oga jimmy and originalpato are canvasing for same thing. I will also suggest (like Ive done severally before now) that we put our Amebo drones to use here. AFIT can churn out these birds in dozens if the funds are made available and we can deploy them to our border states with ground based personels on Motorbikes, Spiders ,APCs/ Up-armoured Gun-trucks and possibly some helicopters.
Drones are cheaper to acquire, cheaper to maintain, they have incredible loitering capability and they can be as quite as a grave if need be. Some of them can even hover like choppers (imagine the recon value of such).
FG, please stop complaining about ‘competing needs’. The $25Million meant for the First Lady’s lodge can get us dozens of Amebos (which we learnt can transmit images up to 40km?).
God bless Nigeria.