LAGOS, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The Nigeria Immigration Service in the southern Akwa Ibom state has repatriated 18 illegal immigrants to their home countries through the Seme border in southwestern Nigeria.
The immigrants included 10 Burkinabes, seven Togolese and one Beninoise, said a statement on Monday from the immigration service, which has evicted 630 illegal immigrants so far this year, 612 of whom were repatriated in the first five months of the year.
The migrants were mainly from Niger, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guinea, Gambia and Togo.
In a related operation, the service rescued a human trafficking victim and arrested the suspected trafficker, who was, along with the victim, on her way to Lagos for onward movement to Canada and has been handed to the relevant state agency for possible prosecution.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with an approximate population of 170 million, is facing major security challenges which are crippling the economic activities in some states.
Its northern part is plagued by violence, including attacks by the Boko Haram sect, while its south is said to be a hub of criminal activities which include oil theft or bunkering, kidnappings and armed robbery attacks.
The influx of illegal immigrants has also gravely exacerbated the country's security situation.
