Nigeria’s Immigration Service and China’s National Immigration Administration have agreed to strengthen collaboration in migration management, border security and intelligence sharing.

The agreement was disclosed in a statement signed by the NIS Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, on Sunday in Abuja.

The agreement was reached during a bilateral meeting between the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, and senior officials of China’s National Immigration Administration in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Sub-Forum on Migration Management Cooperation, which took place from September 8 to 11 and attracted more than 2,000 participants from 139 countries and international organisations.

NIS Public Relations Officer, SPRO Akinsola Akinlabi, said Nandap used the bilateral session to reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to deepening international partnerships, intelligence sharing and technical cooperation to strengthen border security and improve migration management.

“The NIS presentation centered on Nigeria’s role in combating document fraud and falsification of records, highlighting the efforts of the Service in strengthening document verification and border security,” he said.

The proposed areas of cooperation include technical exchanges, information sharing and capacity-building initiatives, which the NIS said reflect the growing need for coordinated efforts to address migration-related security threats.

Beyond its bilateral engagement with China, the NIS also participated in a roundtable discussion at the sub-forum on Nigeria’s efforts to combat document fraud and the falsification of records.

Akinlabi said Nigeria’s participation in the forum provided an opportunity to share its experiences with other delegations and gain insights into international approaches to migration management, document security and border control.

The sub-forum provided a platform for participating countries and organisations to discuss ways to strengthen international cooperation on migration management and address emerging transnational challenges.

The agreement with China comes as Nigeria steps up efforts to improve border security and migration management through technology, intelligence sharing and stronger international partnerships.

In June 2025, the NIS received document verification and border management equipment from the Netherlands. Earlier, in October 2024, the agency launched a 24-hour real-time border surveillance system to monitor Nigeria’s land, maritime and air borders while supporting collaboration with international security agencies.

Nigeria’s border management system has continued to evolve as the government seeks to balance the free movement of people and goods with growing security concerns along the country’s borders.