By Suleiman Shehu

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS),Oyo State Command, says no fewer than 5,600 passports have been issued and 79 illegal migrants repatriated by the command between October and December 2022.

The NIS Controller in the state, Mr  Isah Dansuleiman, at the end of the year party for officers and honouring of retiring officers of the command on Friday in Ibadan.

Dansuleiman said that 2022 had been very impressive and rewarding and a lot of challenges surmounted.

He said that issuance of passport had greatly improved in the state especially with the inauguration of e-enhance passport in Ibadan centre.

“So far so good, we are doing our best in Oyo State and a lot of improvement is going on every day.

“There is a new desk now that we have just created called Diaspora desk, we have officers that are waiting for them, so whatever we do now is seamless especially as regard passport issuance.

“As part of our effort to make passport issuance seamless, we are opening up another passport office in Oyo town by early January 2023  to ease the tension in Ibadan centre’’, he said.

Dansuleiman  said that the command had achieved a lot in anti-human trafficking with arrest made and successfully reunification of underage girls and their families.

The controller said that the command had carried out a lot of sensitisation on why people should shun illegal migration while foreigners with voter’s card are also repatriated and the cards seized.

He said that the command was doing its best in border management to ensure illegal migrants don’t infiltrate the state.

Dansuleiman  appreciate  the people of the state for their support and  urged them not to relent enable  the service to carry out its functions effectively.

One of the retirees, Mrs Rachael Titilayo  called on other officers to continue to give their best to the Service and the nation and thanked the NIS for the honour.

She expressed happiness to God for sparing her life to retire from the service without any blemish and overcoming some challenges that came her way.

The highlight of the occasion was the presentation of awards to some outstanding officers for their contributions to NIS in the state.(NAN)