The Federal Government has promoted more than 70,000 paramilitary officers across agencies under the Ministry of Interior over the past three years and deployed a technology-driven Integrated Operating Centre to strengthen border control and immigration enforcement.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the developments in Abuja while declaring open the 2026 Sectoral Performance Retreat for agencies under the Federal Ministry of Interior. The retreat, held at the Nigeria Army Conference Centre, was themed “Accountable Leadership, Measurable Impacts: Reviewing Results, Renewing Commitments.”
Tunji-Ojo described the mass promotion as unprecedented, noting that it reflects the commitment of the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to boost morale and professionalism within the country’s paramilitary services.
“Only yesterday, I approved the 2026 promotion of personnel across all agencies under the Ministry. By April and May, the implementation will commence,” the minister said, urging officers to reciprocate the gesture with discipline, patriotism and improved service delivery.
The minister also announced the inauguration of an Integrated Operating Centre (IOC) by the Nigeria Immigration Service, designed to track immigration violators using advanced surveillance and data integration technologies.
According to him, the centre provides real-time intelligence on foreigners who have overstayed their visas, with historical migration data spanning up to a decade.
“With the kind of sophisticated gadgets and equipment now in place, the Immigration Service has become a strong internal security enabler. The Service will go after those who have overstayed. It is no longer business as usual,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo explained that the integration of advanced analytics and harmonised databases would allow authorities to monitor persons of interest more effectively and strengthen border security.
As part of broader reforms, the government has also established seven new Forward Operating Bases to improve surveillance and migration management nationwide. The minister commended the Comptroller-General of the Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, for what he described as her leadership in modernising the agency.
He further praised the efforts of other agencies under the ministry, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Correctional Service and the Federal Fire Service, while cautioning against complacency.
Tunji-Ojo tasked the Commandant-General of the Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Audi, to intensify the protection of critical national infrastructure such as oil pipelines, solid mineral sites, schools and hospitals, stressing that the corps must operate with the efficiency of a professional security organisation.
On correctional reforms, the minister emphasised the need to focus on rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates, warning that repeat offending after release reflects systemic shortcomings in the correctional system.
“If offenders complete their sentences and return to crime, then we have not succeeded,” he said.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Magdalene Ajani, described the retreat as a strategic platform to review institutional performance and align operations with national priorities.
She noted that the ministry plays a critical role in border management, citizenship administration and internal security, all of which directly affect the daily lives of Nigerians.
Ajani urged agencies to align their activities with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that the retreat would produce a clear roadmap for delivering measurable outcomes in the year ahead.
Officials say the simultaneous push for personnel welfare through promotions and the adoption of advanced surveillance technology signals a deliberate effort by the government to strengthen Nigeria’s internal security framework in the face of evolving domestic and cross-border threats.
