The Federal Government has announced that it now has the capacity to track visa overstayers in Nigeria through a new technology-driven monitoring system.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, during the first day of the Ministry of Interior 2026 Sectoral Retreat held in Abuja.
The system, known as the Integrated Operation Centre (IOC), allows authorities to monitor the movement of travellers entering the country and identify individuals who remain beyond the validity of their visas.
Tunji-Ojo said the Ministry of Interior, working through the Nigeria Immigration Service, now has the technological capability to track all travellers entering the country and identify visa defaulters.
He explained that the system enables the government to take stronger control of Nigeria’s border space by keeping real-time records of travellers and monitoring visa compliance.
According to the minister, the IOC is an artificial intelligence-driven, multilayered platform that combines cybersecurity and network operations to improve migration and border management.
The minister also highlighted the importance of national identity data in strengthening the new system.
He said more work still needs to be done until the National Identity Management Commission successfully captures the biometric and demographic data of all Nigerians.
Nigeria has been implementing a series of reforms in its migration and border management system aimed at improving security and monitoring the movement of foreign nationals.
The immigration service has also launched nationwide enforcement operations against foreigners who fail to regularise their stay after visa expiration.
To encourage compliance, they introduced an Expired Visa Initiative (amnesty programme) that allowed foreign nationals with expired visas or residence permits to regularise their status or voluntarily leave Nigeria without penalties before stricter enforcement began.