Nigeria on Thursday called on heads of immigration services of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to checkmate the flow of illegal arms into the sub-region.

Moremi Soyinka-Onijala, special assistant to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on immigration and humanitarian affairs, said "the free flow of illicit arms into the sub-region has contributed to a series of conflicts and instabilities which had forced many families to take refuge."

At the maiden conference of heads of ECOWAS immigration services held in the Nigerian capital Abuja, Soyinka-Onijala advocated the protection of the rights of immigrants for economic and social development, but warned that the members should not relent towards curbing criminal activities along their borders.

She urged them to ensure that the sub-region can benefit from growing advantages of immigration through a streamlined method of transfer of skills.

Addressing the opening of the conference, Nigerian Minister of Internal Affairs Olu Adeniji expressed concern over negative effects of human trafficking and arms deals along the border.

He urged the participants to evolve collaborative efforts with their European counterpart to create employment opportunities for African youths to curb their flow to Europe.