Over three days in Abuja, 38 Nigerian border officials, including 17 women, took part in a comprehensive training course aimed at enhancing their understanding of migration from a human rights and gender-sensitive perspective. Participants from various agencies, including the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Port Health Services, and the Department of State Services (DSS), gathered to engage in this essential training. During the opening session, Dr. Tony Ojukwu OFR SAN, Executive Secretary of the NHRC, highlighted the critical role of integrating human rights into border governance. "Mainstreaming human rights into border governance and security service improves service results," he stated, underscoring the importance of this integration for effective border management.

Human rights standards provide invaluable guidance to border officials to ensure they can carry out their critical functions in a professional and effective manner. All migrants, regardless of their legal status, how they arrive at the border, where they come from or what they look like are entitled to enjoy their human rights. Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Alkasim J, representing the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap, highlighted the need for a balanced approach in border governance. He said, "As we navigate border governance, let us strive for an approach that balances security and compassion, efficiency and empathy." He added, "Nigeria Immigration Service will work collaboratively to ensure that our operations are guided by the principles of human rights, transparency, and accountability. [The Nigerian Immigration Service] recognizes the importance of respecting the dignity and rights of every individual regardless of their migration status.”

The interactive sessions over the three days included discussions, exercises, and presentations facilitated by experts from OHCHR, IOM, ECOWAS, NAPTIP and NHRC. Participants deepened their understanding of relevant human rights standards and their application in border security and management. They also gained increased sensitivity towards vulnerable situations, enabling them to adopt a victim-centred approach to their work. In this respect, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC highlighted the added complexity of irregular migration, emphasizing that “migration becomes very complex when people are in vulnerable situations”. Furthermore, the training emphasized the importance of integrating a gender-responsive approach in their practices.

“In an era where migration dynamics are increasingly complex, your role as border officials is crucial. You are the first point of contact for individuals crossing borders, and your actions significantly impact their safety, dignity, and human rights.”, stated Mrs. Esther Michael Sawa, the National Coordinator of the PROMIS project at the start of the training. Effective border governance is essential for the well-being of communities, as it upholds human rights and protects the rule of law. Border officials often act as first responders, offering assistance and protection to individuals in vulnerable situations.

By the end of the training, participants have developed several key recommendations, including : increasing professional ethics training for border officials, advocating for more resources and capacity building, ensuring gender-sensitive interviews and non-discrimination practices, enhancing accountability and transparency, implementing structured procedures at borders, expanding human rights training, promoting multi-agency collaboration and raising awareness on drug use, trafficking, and human rights issues. They are expected to disseminate the training knowledge to their colleagues at their respective duty posts.

This training marks a significant step towards ensuring that Nigerian border officials can carry out their duties with a deepened understanding of human rights, ultimately contributing to the protection and assistance of migrants in Nigeria. The commitment to human rights, transparency, and accountability highlighted during this training sets a promising precedent for future border management practices in Nigeria in line with the objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).

The PROMIS project is a joint initiative between OHCHR and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) that aims to strengthen the capacities of West African states to develop a human rights-based response to Trafficking in Persons, Smuggling of Migrants, and related crimes, and to effectively respond to human rights violations related to irregular migration.