Nigeria Immigration, DSS Warn Against Foreign Interference in 2027 Elections

The Nigeria Immigration Service and the Department of State Services have strengthened their preparations to prevent foreign interference in the 2027 general elections. They warned that electoral periods could be exploited by foreign elements to smuggle arms and infiltrate the country. The security agencies emphasized the importance of strengthening border surveillance, intelligence gathering, and inter-agency collaboration to protect the integrity of the forthcoming elections.

The Comptroller-General of the NIS, Kemi Nandap, stated that ensuring credible elections extended beyond electoral management to providing a peaceful and secure environment. She emphasized that achieving this required collective vigilance, effective coordination, and the commitment of all institutions entrusted with safeguarding the nation. Nandap warned that irregular migration, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and other transnational crimes could undermine national security if not properly addressed.

Nandap, represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Visa and Residency, Franca Nwanneka, urged officers to maintain political neutrality, discipline, and respect for the rule of law before, during, and after the elections. She directed senior officers, zonal coordinators, comptrollers, and heads of formations to strengthen surveillance, intelligence gathering, and operational readiness in their respective commands. Collaboration among security agencies was deemed necessary to address threats that individual institutions might be unable to tackle independently.

The Director-General of the DSS, Adeola Ajayi, warned that foreign elements could exploit weaknesses in the country’s borders during the election period to advance activities capable of disrupting the democratic process. Ajayi, represented by the Deputy Director-General of Operations and Intelligence, Patrick Ikenweiwe, noted that past elections had shown the vulnerability of border communities to criminal activities. He pledged the DSS’s commitment to closer cooperation with the immigration service through intelligence sharing, joint threat assessments, and coordinated operations.

The security agencies’ warning comes amid growing international attention on Nigeria’s preparations for the January 2027 presidential election. At a recent congressional hearing in the United States, Congressman Riley Moore called for close scrutiny of the forthcoming election, saying Washington should monitor the process closely. The Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, also warned that the election could trigger violence, citing Nigeria’s security challenges.

The US State Department has a dedicated team monitoring elections worldwide and would pay particular attention to Nigeria’s poll. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Riley Barnes, stated that they were tracking the elections closely, especially high-priority ones like this one. The Academic Staff Union of Universities has barred its officials from using the union’s name or platform to endorse political candidates or parties.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has completed the 21-day monitoring of all 62 contacts linked to an Ebola case, with all contacts testing negative. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has warned Nigerians, particularly those with pre-existing medical conditions, to exercise caution when travelling through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, following reports of 16 Nigerian deaths.

Key points

• The Nigeria Immigration Service and DSS are strengthening preparations to prevent foreign interference in the 2027 general elections.
• The security agencies emphasize the importance of collective vigilance, effective coordination, and inter-agency collaboration.
• The US State Department will closely monitor Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election due to security concerns.