The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have called for effective inter-agency cooperation to tackle criminal activities in border areas across the country.

Nkeiruka Nwala, the Acting Area Controller, Cross River/Calabar Free Trade Zone/Akwa Ibom, made the call during a visit to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) command in Uyo.

Ms Nwala said that the complexities of contemporary border security required sustained collaboration, timely intelligence exchange and coordinated operational responses.

She reiterated the NCS’s commitment to working with sister agencies to combat smuggling, trans-border crime and other threats to national security.

The NCS official said that the visit was aimed at strengthening the relationship between the Customs Service and the NIS in the areas of border security, intelligence sharing, migration management and the prevention of cross-border crimes.

Ms Nwala stated that the role of the Immigration Service was critical to safeguarding the nation’s territorial integrity through effective migration control and border management.

Also speaking, the Comptroller of Immigration in Akwa Ibom, Patrick Uyedoh, expressed the readiness of the NIS to sustain cooperation with the Customs Service in addressing shared security concerns.

Mr Uyedoh appreciated the NCS acting area controller for the visit and acknowledged the importance of maintaining a strong working relationship between the two agencies. 

(NAN)