The Taraba State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, has said all land borders bordering the state and the neighbouring country of Cameroon will be temporarily closed during the elections.
Making the disclosure during an interactive session with newsmen on Friday in Jalingo, the state capital, the State Commandant, H.K Usman, said the actions are aimed at preventing the influx of foreigners into the country during the exercise.
He said the command has mapped out plans to synergize with other sister agencies, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, and the Department of State Service, DSS.
The synergy, he said, will go a long way in playing an effective complementary role to the lead agency, the Nigeria Police Force, during and after the general elections.
Expressing the readiness of the command to police the borders, he said the command “will temporally close all the borders linking the state and Cameroon until the elections are over.”
Usman added that the border would be reopened after the polls and closed again during the governorship elections.
He also reiterated the command’s willingness to work tirelessly round the clock with other sister agencies to ensure hitch-free general polls in the state.
According to him, the command “have also deployed enough personnel beginning from the National to States, from states to Local governments and to Ward levels down to the various Polling Units in that order.”
He urged youths to steer clear of violence.
Five out of the 16 local governments in the state share boundaries with Cameroon.