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Tag: Nigeria Immigration Service

  • Human trafficking, migrant smuggling threat to security, says IGP

    The Inspector General of Police, Ag. IGP Mohammed Adamu has decried the spate of human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Nigeria.

    The police boss said the menace has become a major internal security challenge that poses grave threat to the victims and the countries involved.

    The IGP disclosed in Abuja on Monday at a workshop organised by Interpol to counter trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling in Nigeria.

    He said: “Nigeria and indeed the continent of Africa have been experiencing a surge in the menace of trans-border trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.

    “These illegal activities do not only pose a threat to the victims as individuals but also to the countries involved at both ends.

    “The Nigeria Police, working in collaboration with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have been at the forefront in the fight against the menace.

    “The Nigeria Police under my leadership shall continue to support the two agencies while strengthening its institutional capacity towards addressing the threat of human trafficking.”

    Speaking on present and future efforts to curb the menace, Adamu said: “The Nigeria Police raised the bar by upgrading the Anti-Human Trafficking Section of the Force with the appointment of a Commissioner of Police to head the Section.

    “In addition to this, the Police have over the years, remained faithful to the inter-agency framework of seconding police officers to NAPTIP to support and enhance their investigative and operational capacities towards attaining their anti-human trafficking mandate.

    “I can assure that these initiatives shall be sustained under my leadership as the Inspector General of Police.”

    He also promised to engage the Heads of NAPTIP and all other strategic security agencies with mandate for managing human trafficking and migrant smuggling with a view to strengthening inter-agency collaborative efforts and exploring new pathways that will advance the fight against the menace.

    “In addition, I shall continue to deploy our unique intelligence and operational assets and draw on my strong network with INTERPOL to support this initiative, just as I will also be engaging with international agencies and foreign development partners towards achieving the goals of addressing the transnational crime of human trafficking and migrants smuggling.

    “These sets of actions are essential because human trafficking and smuggling of migrants is an organized and transnational crime which requires multi-agency and multinational collaborative approach to effectively combat.”

    Speaking on the impact of the menace, the Acting Head of National Central Bureau, Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Lanre Bankole said the fight against the scourge has proven difficult because most victims are under serious threat and intimidation.

    He said: “Fighting human trafficking and migrant smuggling has been a challenging task because the victims were either unsuspecting tools or were subjected to some forms of intimidation and threats of violence with grave consequences to the victims. This makes it difficult for victims to come forward and seek for help.”

    On how to combat it, Bankole said: “This challenge can be mitigated through proactiuve policing of our borders, vigorous and sustained synergy among stakeholders especially intelligence gathering and sharing among other collaborative efforts.”

    The workshop had in attendance participants from the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other relevant agencies.

  • Tight security at Lagos airport ahead of Buhari’s visit for campaign

    A large number of security operatives were on Saturday deployed to strategic positions at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, ahead of the today’s visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the security operatives were already at their respective positions at about 6.30 a.m.

    They included officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

    Also on ground were officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, who were controlling the traffic situation within the airport and its environs.

    Read Also: Leave Lagos or get burnt, Lagos CP tells criminals

    NAN reports that Buhari, the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Feb. 16, Presidential Election, is coming to Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital, to campaign for his re-election.

    He is scheduled to visit the Palace of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, State House, Marina and will later address APC supporters at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, in continuation of his Next Level campaign.

    NAN

  • NIS: Over 81 thousand foreigners in Nigeria

    … India, China top list 

     

    81, 003 foreigners are currently living in Nigeria, the Comptroller General (CG)  of the Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS) Muhammad Babandede said on Saturday.

    From available statistics, there were 2,694 US Citizens, 3,946 Britons, 17,995 Chinese, 31,660 Indians, 6,295 Lebanese and 1,295 Germans living legally in Nigeria. Also, there were 17,118 foreign nationals from 92 other countries resident in the Country.

    According to a statement issued by the NIS spokesman, Sunday James: “While keeping in line with its statutory mandate as enshrined in Section 2 (a) – (f) of the Immigration Act 2015 as amended, the Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, hereby informs the general public that from the month of September, 2018, the Service will give a quarterly report of migrants resident in Nigeria.

    “As at August 31st 2018, the Nigeria Immigration Service has recorded a total of 81,003 non-ECOWAS foreign Nationals legally resident in Nigeria.

    Read Also: Atiku promises to take Nigeria to higher level

    “Within the same period, 82,084 Visas on Arrival (VoA) were issued at 6 International Airports in Nigeria and a total of 7,570 Temporary Work Permits (TWP) were also issued by the Service.

    “The breakdowns for the TWP are 1,492 issued to Indians, 1171 issued to Chinese, 987 issued to Britons, 1006 issued to South Africans, 641 issued to Italians, 649 issued to Ukranians while a total of 1,624 were issued to other nationals.

    “The Service hereby restate its commitment to safeguarding and protecting Nigerian borders while discharging it’s administrative and operational duties in line with International best practices and respect for the rights of Migrants without compromising National Security.”

  • Pastor paraded for sexually assaulting 17 year-old maid

    The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NATIPP) on Thursday paraded a 43- year –old Pastor, Philip ‘Prince’ Olatunbosun for sexually harassing his 17-year-old house help.

    The suspect, who hails from Ondo State, was paraded along four other suspects for human trafficking and rape offences.

    The pastor, according to the agency, would sneak into the victim’s room and use his hands to fondle her breasts and other sexual genitals.

    NAPTIP’s Director-General, Julie Okah-Donli, who disclosed these at a briefing on Thursday in Abuja, said the move to parade the suspects, is in line with its ‘name and shame’ strategy of ending the twin problems.

    Represented by the Director of Investigation and Monitoring at the agency, Mr Josiah Emerole, she said NAPTIP would continue to go after traffickers until it makes the “country a safe place for the people.”

    She said: “Three of the cases have to do with rape and sexual violations against minors which are serious offences punishable under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPPA) 2015.

    Read Also: Pastor jailed 54 months for theft

    “The other two are attempts by two suspects to traffic or smuggle other Nigerians out of the country using fraudulent means contrary to the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.”

    The NAPTIP boss appealed to parents especially the mothers to pay closer attention to their daughters because of the increasingly cases and spate of rape in the country.

    “To those out there who now take delight in destroying the lives of the girl child because of their uncontrollable sexual appetite, NAPTIP will no longer allow this to thrive.

    “For the traffickers, NAPTIP will continue to go after them until we make the country a safe place for the people,” she said.

    A 27-year-old taxi driver, James Eberechukwu Osuji, who hails from Imo State and resides in Abuja, was paraded for luring a 17-year-old female to his house and camped her there from Thursday, August 2, till Saturday, August 4, 2018.

    He was alleged to have drugged the victim and sexually violated her within those days.

    Also paraded for rape and sexual offences was a 31-year-old Chef, Innocent Etim who hails from Akwa Ibom and resides in Abuja.

    He was arrested for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl whose mother provides cooking assistance whenever he has a catering contract.

    Paraded for human trafficking offences was Mr Abiona David Oluwafemi Tobi, a man of various personalities.

    Using letter heads of the Federal Ministry of Health (Office of the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Healthcare), he signed letters to someone in Finland as Director, Policy, Planning, Research and Strategy.

    He tried to traffic 12 persons to Finland under the guise of embarking on Study Tour of Health facilities.

    The suspect in other letters, claimed to be of the Hospitals Management Board of the Ogun State Government, Office of the Ogun State Governor and the Director, Finance and Accounts of the Hospitals Board.

    Last to be arraigned was a 33-year-old mother of three, Asia Rita, who was alleged to be trafficking seven persons to Libya.

    She and the alleged victims were intercepted by officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Katsina and transferred to NAPTIP on Wednesday 29th August by the NIS Headquarters.

    According to the Director-General of NAPTIP, “we are grateful to the NIS for this collaborative effort. Investigations are still ongoing on this case.”

  • NIS arrests two suspected fraudsters parading themselves as officers

    Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Zone A headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos has arrested two suspected fraudsters parading themselves as Immigration Officers.

    Assistant Comptroller General, Zonal Coordinator, Mohammed Alhaji Alfa disclosed this on Wednesday.

    The suspects; Messrs Emeka John, 66 and James Ezeh , 53 were arrested  on August 20, 2018  by Immigration officers at a Chinese company while attempting to defraud  the company of huge sums of money using forged Service letterhead purported to be signed by a senior Immigration officer.

    Read Also: Again NIS rescues trafficked woman in Katsina

    Investigations further revealed that the suspects were in the habit of going to companies to harass and extort money from expatriate employees.

    He said after careful investigation into the matter, the Assistant Comptroller General, Zonal Coordinator, Mohammed Alhaji Alfa directed that the suspects be handed over to the Police for further interrogation.

    The Zonal Coordinator, however, advised members of the public, especially companies and organisations that employ the services of expatriates to be wary of such suspected fraudsters as they are not sent by Nigeria Immigration Service, as their activities are a source of serious embarrassment to the Service.

  • NIS debunks arrest of Ekiti-bound foreigners

    The Nigeria immigration Service (NIS) has debunked rumours that its officers in Kogi had arrested about 200 foreigners heading for Ekiti.

    Spokesman of the agency, Mr Sunday James, dismissed the speculation in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

    James said although some travelers were intercepted by men of the Kogi Command of the service on routine assignment, none of them was found to be a foreigner.

    “The Comptroller of Immigration, Kogi Command, under whose jurisdiction the travelers were intercepted, confirmed with records that they were all Nigerians.

    Read Also: My plan for Ekiti, by Olusola

    “No single Nigerien (citizen of neighbouring Republic of Niger) was found among the people apprehended.

    “The command profiled them to ascertain their true nationality and contrary to reports making rounds, they are all Nigerian citizens traveling to Lagos for their legitimate businesses,” he said.

    Voters in Ekiti will go to the polls on July 14 for the state governorship election that would produce a successor to outgoing Gov. Ayodele Fayose.

  • We have no hand in smugglers’ business – Nigeria Immigration

    Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has absolved itself and officers of culpability in the smuggling of the Nigerian girls to Egypt. Rather than abet human traffickers to push their nefarious trade, NIS said it had strengthened the capacity of its officers to work in partnership with relevant agencies to stop human trafficking in all the nation’s borders.

    Its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Sunday James, said the NIS was not aware of the smugglers’ activities at the airport. He said the Service apprehended a group of smugglers at Seme – Nigeria’s border with Republic of Benin. The suspects, he said, were handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for prosecution.

    James said NIS has stringent disciplinary measures for erring officers who aid traffickers to smuggle human beings, noting that the Service had upheld professionalism in the management of the nation’s border.

    Asked if NIS was aware of Nigerian girls being enslaved and sold in Egypt? James said: “We are not aware of any such activity. But, as far as we are concerned and to our knowledge, we have our officers stationed at all entry and exit point in Nigeria to intercept suspected smugglers and their victims.

    “This has been a routine and whenever we suspect any person, whether at the airport, seaport or land borders, we intercept and interrogate them. If they are found wanting or maybe it is confirmed to be a trafficking issue or they are smuggling people, we stop them immediately. That we have been doing for many times.”

    Reacting to allegation of culpability of NIS officers at the airport, James said: “Which of the airports? You are supposed to go to our airports; there are comptrollers there. Go there and meet the comptrollers to ask questions. Your story will not be complete without you going to airports.

    “We don’t support smugglers to carry out their business. The NIS Comptroller-General regularly sounds a note of warning to officers who may want to compromise professionalism and aid in the trafficking of persons. We have strict penalties for erring officers. We are not interested in issue of Nigerians who probably travel out of the country on their own and they end up being exploited.

    “We are interested in preventing smugglers from taking victims out of the country through our borders. We advise anyone travelling out of the country to go through the right process and carry the right documents. Immigration Act frowns at trafficking in persons.”

  • NIS arrests 67 irregular migrants from Republic of Niger

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it has arrested 67 irregular migrants from the Republic of Niger.

    Mr Sunday James, the spokesman of the agency, announced this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

    James said that the foreigners were intercepted by the Special Border Corps of the NIS while trying to enter the country via Niger State, noting that the comptroller of the service in the state, Mrs Hornby Onimin, was in control of the operation.

    He also said that the migrants had been profiled and would be repatriated soon.

    “This arrest came after the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr Muhammad Babandede, held a meeting with NIS zonal coordinators and comptrollers of state commands and other formations.

    “At the meeting, Babandede challenged the officers to return to their base with a new vigour to ensure that non-Nigerians are not allowed to vote or be voted for in line with 1999 Constitution.

    “He also directed them to evolve a community border patrol initiative, where community members are engaged in information gathering and sharing to the NIS border patrol operatives alongside community leaders.

    “The directive has started yielding the desired results as shown by the apprehension of the 67 Nigeriens,’’ he said.

    The spokesman quoted the NIS boss as encouraging other officers to emulate the exemplary leadership style of Onimin

  • Buhari, security chiefs meet in Aso Rock 

    Buhari, security chiefs meet in Aso Rock 

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed doors with security chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting started around 11.a.m. as most heads of the security agencies arrived the seat of power before 11.a.m.

    The meeting is an enlarged one also involving agencies such as Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Fire Service.

    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report

    Details Later…

  • Immigration promotes 156 officers in Akwa Ibom

    Immigration promotes 156 officers in Akwa Ibom

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has promoted 156 officers in the Akwa Ibom command of the service, The News men reports that the command’s Public Relations Officer, CSI Ibishia Jaja, was among the officers promoted to the rank of Chief Superintendent of Immigration.

    Decorating the promoted officers with their new ranks on Tuesday in Uyo, Comptroller of Immigration in the state command, CIS Livingstone Amadi, advised the newly elevated officers to be more dedicated to service.

    Amadi said promotion in service should be seen as motivation to achieve efficient service delivery and high productivity.

    “All officers elevated should stand out in the discharge of their duties; the promotion calls for dedication and more commitment to service,” he said.

    The comptroller noted that promotion comes with more expectation, advising the officers to show hard work and discipline in the discharge of their routine services.

    Read Also:  Four suspected smugglers held in  Akwa Ibom

    He urged them to thank God for the elevation and also appreciate the Nigeria Immigration Service by being diligent in the discharge of their services.

    Speaking on behalf of the promoted officers, the Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, DCI Festus Korie, said they were elated, promising that they would reciprocate the gesture.

    He gave the assurance that the newly promoted officers would live up to expectation and discharge their responsibilities meticulously.

    Korie thanked God for his benevolence and also the Ministry of Interior for finding them fit for promotion in the service.

    NAN