Chukwu Obinna 
KANO, Nigeria – Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps detain 20 foreign nationals in Kano State after an intelligence-led raid uncovers undocumented migrants living in a residential building.
The arrests took place in Danbare district, Kumbotso Local Government Area, following complaints from residents over unusual activity and language barriers among occupants.
State Commandant, Mohammed Hassan-Agalama, on Tuesday says none of the individuals—who are from Sudan, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger—can present valid travel documents or identification during questioning.
“The suspects include 12 from Sudan, six from Chad, and one each from Cameroon and Niger,” he says.
Preliminary investigations suggest the group is part of an informal transit movement, with many attempting to travel to Sudan through Chad, using Nigeria as a temporary stopover.
Authorities identify a Nigerien trader, Idrisa Ila, as a key facilitator. He reportedly arranges accommodation after being contacted via Facebook, despite initially declining the request.
“They said they lacked funds to continue their journey and decided to stay in Nigeria temporarily,” Ila tells investigators, adding that the group remained at the residence for over 10 days.
NSCDC operatives recover 10 mobile phones during the operation and launch a profiling process to determine the migrants’ intentions and any potential links to criminal networks.
The agency says it has notified relevant authorities as investigations continue.
Security officials stress that undocumented migration poses both humanitarian and national security concerns, particularly amid rising cross-border movements in the region.
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Mirian Gom 
Korede Abdullah