Our Core Mandate

About Us

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) traces its roots to 1958 when it was carved out of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) as the Immigration Department. At that time, it operated under the command of a Chief Federal Immigration Officer (CFIO). The first to occupy this position was Mr. E. H. Harrison. The Immigration Ordinance of 1958 guided the Department’s functions, which initially revolved around a narrow operational scope focusing on the Visa and Business Sections.

On August 1, 1963, the Immigration Department was formally established by an Act of Parliament (Cap I71, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria). Its head was then designated “Director of Immigration.” Many of the first Immigration Officers were drawn from the NPF. The Department functioned as a Civil Service outfit under the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs (FMIA).

TRANSITION TO A PARA-MILITARY ORGANIZATION

Following structural reforms and the Government White Paper of October 1, 1992, the designation of “Director of Immigration” was changed to “Comptroller General of Immigration Service” (CGI). This transition elevated the Service to a para-military status. Accordingly, the last Director of Immigration, Mr. Garba Abbas, became the first Comptroller General of Immigration.

EXPANDING RESPONSIBILITIES AND ADOPTION OF ICT

Over time, the NIS underwent reorganizations to accommodate expanded responsibilities, including:

• Introduction of regional and sub-regional alignments (e.g., the ECOWAS and African Affairs Division).

• Aliens Control and Border Patrol Management.

• Issuance of all Nigerian travel documents (since 1988), encompassing passports.

The Service embraced Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in its operations by:

• Introducing the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) in June 1998.

• Rolling out the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC) in 2001.

• Adopting online payments for its facilities, pioneering e-revenue collection in Nigeria.

In keeping with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, the NIS unveiled the e-Passport on May 17, 2007, under then-Comptroller General C. J. Udeh, OFR—making Nigeria the first country in Africa (and among the first globally) to launch an e-Passport. The e-Passport’s biometric features strengthen the fight against trans-border crimes by curbing identity theft and multiple passport acquisitions.

In recognition of these innovations, ICAO admitted Nigeria into its Board in 2009, with the NIS representing Africa. Since then, e-passport systems have been deployed across Nigeria’s 36 states and several foreign missions, supplemented by mobile passport intervention teams worldwide.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK UPGRADE

On May 25, 2015, the National Assembly passed a new Immigration Act. This legislation repealed the 1963 Act and introduced an additional Directorate—Migration Directorate—further reinforcing the NIS’s legal and structural foundations.

Our Core Mandate

The Nigeria Immigration Service is responsible according to the act establishing it for

• The control of persons entering or leaving Nigeria
• The issuance of travel documents to bona fide Nigerians in and outside Nigeria
• The issuance of residence permits to foreigners in Nigeria
• Border surveillance and patrol
• Enforcement of laws and regulations with which we have been directly charged.