The Federal Government has said it now has the capability to identify and apprehend foreigners who overstay their visas in Nigeria.
According to the Federal Government, the development follows the creation of new digital monitoring systems by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the 2026 Sectoral Performance Review Retreat of the Federal Ministry of Interior.
Tunji-Ojo revealed the government now possesses detailed immigration records covering the past decade, enabling authorities to track individuals who entered the country and determine whether they complied with the terms of their visas.
“With that, we can access, in the last 10 years, everybody who has entered, where you came from, everything. We have all your records.
“We know the exact people who have overstayed in our country and we will go after them, with due respect, because outside Nigeria they go after irregular immigrants and we must protect the sanctity of our borders,” he said.
He announced enforcement against foreigners who remain in Nigeria beyond the duration permitted by their visas would begin, and that many countries take similar action against irregular migrants.
Tunji-Ojo also called for reforms across agencies under the ministry, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to ensure services are delivered transparently and without corruption.
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He stressed government institutions must provide equal access to protection, regardless of social status.
“If you are a businessman or there is a genuine threat to your life, you should be able to access protection without going through the minister, the Commandant General, or anyone else.
“Nigeria should not be about selective service delivery. The essence of government is to protect everyone, with greater emphasis on protecting the weakest in society,” he said.
On correctional reforms, the minister said a prison system that repeatedly returns offenders to custody reflects a failure of rehabilitation.
“Anybody who goes in there must be reformed and transformed,” he said, adding that the goal is to reduce repeat offences to the barest minimum.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Magdalene Ajani, said accountability remains central to leadership within the ministry.
Ajani believed leadership involves “devotion, promises, performance and impact,” adding that agencies under the ministry play critical roles in the daily lives of Nigerians and must operate transparently.
Officials insisted the new immigration monitoring system forms part of broader efforts to strengthen border management and enforce visa regulations across the country.