By Musa Umar Bologi
Abuja
Nigerian Army will soon begin training of personnel of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) on border patrol and other areas of expertise as part of ways to enhance its efficiency to curtail insurgency in the country.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, gave the assurance yesterday when he received the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mohammed Babandede who paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
Buratai said both the army and the NIS were working towards the same goal of ensuring national security and protecting territorial integrity of the country, hence the need for strong collaboration between the two bodies.
He said the army was ready to train personnel of the NIS at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, the Military Police Training School and the Nigerian Army School of Legal Studies, Basawa, Kaduna state, to enhance their efficiency.
The COAS said the army has closed working relations with the NIS in some of its operations across the country, especially in the North east, and was ready to involve them in its Forward Operation Bases in Malamfatori, Banki, Gambaru Gala, and other border areas.
Earlier in his remarks, the Comptroller-General of Immigration said his visit to the Army Headquarters was to seek further partnership with the Nigerian Army in areas of manpower development in order to contribute to peace and security, especially in areas of preventing criminal elements into the country.
He said: Our responsibility to ensure right visa is given to the right people is one way to ensure national security; and this is why we are seeking collaborations with the Nigerian Army.
“In the past the army used to train our personnel, we want this to commence again. We need to build our men and the best agency to train us is the military.”