The Comptroller of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Ekiti Command, Kayode Ademola has described the "japa syndrome" in Nigeria as a major challenge to those seeking port exits through illegal routes in the quest for greener pastures.
Ademola disclosed this during the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the service, held in Ado-Ekiti.
He decried the rampant death of Nigerian youths in the Sahara, Mediterranean Sea, and so on.
According to him, “From available data from the International Organisation for Migration, at least 1,200 Nigerians have died while trying to migrate through the Sahara and Mediterranean Sea in 2023 alone.
“For those who survive, the dream of reaching their desired destination quickly becomes a mirage, some spend several months, even years in cells abroad for irregular migration, and some are taken hostage by pirates who rob, maim, and sometimes rape the female victims.”
Ademola said traveling abroad in search of a better life is a welcome idea, but, it must be embedded in safe, orderly, and regular immigration.
