The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS)

  • Another batch of 165 Nigerians return from Libya

    Another batch of 165 Nigerians return from Libya

    No fewer than 165 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya on Thursday aboard a chartered Nouvelair aircraft with registration number TS-INA.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the aircraft landed at 5.01 p.m at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    The returnees were made up of 97 males, 54 females, 11 children and three infants.

    They were brought back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Nigerian Embassy in Libya.

    The returnees were received at the Hajj Camp area of the airport by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.

    Also on ground to receive them were officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

    Addressing newsmen, Alhaji Mustapha Maihaja, the Director-General of NEMA, said the agency in collaboration with IOM was working to ensure that Nigerians stranded in Libya were brought back home.

    “We are here to ensure that they are well received. We feed and give them money to enable them get back to their respective destinations,” Maihaja said.

    The director-general, represented by Mr Suleiman Yakubu, the Zonal Coordinator, South West, NEMA, however advised Nigerian youths to develop the mentality of staying back home and helping to build the country.

    “Those of them who have gone and come back will testify that it is better here, especially now that we are in the era of the change mantra.

    “A lot of initiatives have been put in place by the present administration to ensure that life is better in Nigeria,’’ he said.

    Maihaja added that various state governments, particularly Edo State had initiated skills acquisition schemes to help rehabilitate and reintegrate the returnees into the society.

    According to him, a similar scheme which is being put in place by the IOM will take off in July, as the organisation has already informed other stakeholders about the development.

    Two of the returnees who simply gave their names as Owen and Ehis, told NAN that they spent more than seven months in detention in Libya after they were sold into slavery by militias.

    They thanked the Federal Government for facilitating their return to Nigeria and pleaded with the government to assist them in getting their lives back.

    NAN reports that the returnees who were given a stipend of N17, 100 each were later transported to the Jibowu Park to find their way to their respective destinations.

    NAN recalls that two batches of 258 Nigerians voluntarily returned from the North African country on May 11 and May 16 respectively.

     

  • UK deports 35 Nigerians for immigration offences

    UK deports 35 Nigerians for immigration offences

    The Government of the United Kingdom on Wednesday deported 35 Nigerians for committing immigration-related offences in the country.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA) Lagos at about 5.50 a.m.

    The deportees, comprising 30 males and five females, were brought back aboard a chartered Titanic Airways aircraft with registration Number: G-POWO.

    The spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command, DSP Joseph Alabi, confirmed the development to NAN.

    The deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.

    Also on ground to receive them were officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    NAN gathered that the deportees were profiled by the immigration authorities and were each given a stipend to facilitate their transportation to their respective states.

    It would be recalled that the British authorities had on March 31 deported 23 Nigerians for similar reasons.

  • Another set of 258 Nigerians return from Libya

    Another set of 258 Nigerians return from Libya

    No fewer than 258 more Nigerian returnees from Libya arrived the country on Thursday aboard a chartered Airbus A330-200 with registration mark 5A-LAT operated by Libya Airlines.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the aircraft landed about 9:43pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    The 258 voluntary returnees,  who  include four children and one infant. were made up of of 233 males, 25 females..

    Their return was facilitated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Nigerian embassy in Libya.

    They were received at the Hajj Camp area of the airport by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.

    Addressing newsmen, Ms Julie Okah-Donli, the newly appointed Director-General of NAPTIP, said the agency was particularly interested in those that were trafficked.

    “After the profiling have been done, for those that have been trafficked, we will take them away to our shelters,” she said.

    According to her, the agency is working with the international community to clamp down on the trafficking syndicate.

    “They are doing their investigation and very soon we will be able to come out with effective results,” she said.

    Also, Dr Onimode Bandele, Director, Search and Rescue, NEMA, said some of the returnees had medical issues.

    He said some of them were suffering from depression and malnutrition, while one person sustained gun injury.

  • UK deports 23 Nigerians for immigration offences

    UK deports 23 Nigerians for immigration offences

    The Government of the United Kingdom has deported 23 Nigerians for committing immigration-related offences in the country.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA) Lagos at about 6.a.m on Friday.

    The deportees,who are all males, were brought back in a chartered aircraft.

    DSP Joseph Alabi, the Spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command, confirmed the development to NAN.

    The deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the Police.

    Also on ground to receive them were officials  of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    NAN gathered that the deportees were profiled by immigration authorities and given stipends to facilitate their transportation to their respective states.

    The Italian Government on March 8, deported 37 Nigerians from the country for similar reasons.

  • NIS confirms prosecution’s claim that Justice Ngwuta had two passports

    NIS confirms prosecution’s claim that Justice Ngwuta had two passports

    The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Friday confirmed allegation by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) that Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court had two standard Nigerian international passports when he was arrested in October last year.

    A senior NIS official, Tanko Nuhu Kutana made the confirmation yesterday while testifying as the 3rd prosecution witness in Justice Ngwuta’s trial before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Justice Ngwuta is being tried on a 12-count charge, in which he was accused of committing sundry offences, including money laundering and possession of two valid Nigerian standard passports (contrary to Section 10 (1) (a) of the Immigration Act 2015).

    Kutana, formerly of the Document Fraud Unit (the Forensic Investigative arm) of the NIS, but now serving in Benue command, said he was invited by the office of the AGF to investigate how Justice Ngwuta came about two passports at the same time.

    The witness, who was led in evidence by prosecution lawyer, Mrs. Olufemi Fatunde, said he got involved with the case when the office of the AGF invited him to help ascertain how the defendant came about having two passports at a time.

    He said: “In the process of examining the passports, I found out that they were validly issued passports. Two of the passports, which were standard passports, drew my attention because they were both valid and contained two valid US visas, which each one having one.”

    The witness said he later returned to his office to retrieve the file containing information on how both passports were issued.

    He said he found that the one issued in November 2012 to Justice Ngwuta had earlier been reported lost by the judge through a letter dated April 5, 2016 written by the Supreme Court to the NIS.

    “The said letter reported the loss and requested for a replacement of the lost passport. Attached to the letter was a sworn affidavit sworn to by his Lordship, Justice Ngwuta at the Supreme Court, stating his loss of the said passport.

    “There was also an extract from the police’s diary from the police station domicile at the Supreme Court. It was based on the letter, the affidavit and police extract that he was re-issued another passport on 20th April, 2016.

    “I photocopied the entire file, made sure it was certified and took them to the office of the AGF. When I got back to the AGF’s office, I explained how the judge came about having two standard passports,” he said.

    Kutana identified the first of the passports as the one with number: AO4389985, issued November 29, 2012 to expire on November 28, 2017, containing a valid American visa at page 11 of the visa page, issued on August 26, 2015 to expire on August 24 2017.

    He said the one issued in replacement has the number: AO7274634, issued on April 20, 2016, to expire on April 19, 2021. He said it contained a valid American visa issued on 27 September 2016 to expire on 25 September 2018 and a British visa, issued on June 2, 2016, to expire on June 2, 2018.

    The prosecution later tendered both passports, the letter from the Supreme Court and the police extract, which the court admitted in evidence.

    Kutana said the two passports were still valid and that the defendant failed to report to the NIS that he recovered the one he reported missing, which would have allowed the NIS to formally cancel one of the passports.

    “If he had reported that the passport was found, we would have endorsed ‘cancelled’ on the other one that was issued in the place of the lost one,” the witness said.

    Under cross-examination by defence lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), the witness said although the passports, being electronic one could be cancelled from the NIS data base at the time it was reported missing, that did stop its physical usage for travelling and other purposes.

    He said there was no evidence that the defendant used both passports interchangeably.

    “What was improper was that when he (Justice Ngwuta) found the old passport, he did not return it to be cancelled manually,” he said.

    The witness agreed with Agabi that there is no law limiting the time to report a found missing passport.

    The trial resumes on May 16.

     

  • Italy deports 37 Nigerians

    Italy deports 37 Nigerians

    The Italian government has deported another batch of Nigerians for committing immigration-related offences in the country, just two weeks after it deported 33 Nigerians.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fresh 37 deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA) Lagos, on Tuesday night.

    The deportees, who are all males, were brought back in a chartered aircraft with registration number OM-IEX.

    DSP Joseph Alabi, the spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command, confirmed the development to NAN.

    The deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police.

    Also on ground to receive them were officials the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    NAN gathered that the deportees were profiled by immigration authorities and were each given a stipend to facilitate their transportation to their respective states.

    On 23 February, Italy also sent 33 Nigerians back home.

     

  • Adamu is immigration new comptroller in Sokoto

    Adamu is immigration new comptroller in Sokoto

    Mr Habib Adamu, the new Comptroller of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Sokoto Command, has assumed office.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the command’s spokesman, Mr Shehu Marafa, and issued to newsmen on Friday in Sokoto.

    According to Marafa, Adamu took over from his predecessor, Mr Abubakar Ahmad, who has now been promoted to the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General.

    He said the former Comptroller would be posted to Zone ”C” Command, Bauchi, where he will be in charge of Bauchi, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Plateau and Gombe State Commands.

  • Court grants ex-Minister Moro permission to seek medical attention abroad

    Court grants ex-Minister Moro permission to seek medical attention abroad

    *Trial resumes Sept 29

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja has granted permission to former Interior Minister, Abba Moro to travel abroad for medical treatment.

    The judge granted Moro the permission on Thursday, shortly after the ex-Minister’s lawyer, Paul Erokoro (SAN) moved a motion to that effect.

    Moro is being tried with a former Permanent Secretary in the Interior Ministry, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia‎, an ex-director in the ministry, Felix .O Alayebami and a firm, Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited, on an 11-count charge.

    They are being tried over their alleged involvement in the botched 2014 recruitment exercise of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) while Moro was Minister.

    They are accused of defrauding 675, 675 graduate applicants of about N675,675,000 having been made to pay N1000 each as processing fees for 5,000 (five thousand) job openings.

    The four defendants  were also accused of breaching the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the award of the contract for the organisation of the recruitment test to Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.

    Lawyer to the prosecution, Farouk Abdallah of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), opposed the motion.

    He argued that Moro failed to provide sufficient materials to warrant the grant of the motion. He noted that the ex-minister did not show that his ailment cannot be treated in the country, and that he also failed to provide evidence of an appointment with a specialist abroad.

    Justice Dimgba, in a brief ruling, ordered the release of Moro’s international passport, currently in the custody of the court’s registrar and directed him to return the passport to the court 48 hours after his return from the two-week medical trip.

    The judge also ordered Moro to ensure his presence in court on September 29 for the continuation of their trial.

  • 40 Beninese arrested with PVCs in Lagos

    40 Beninese arrested with PVCs in Lagos

    The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has said it nabbed 40 Beninese in Lagos who were in possession of the country’s Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC).

    This is just as the service disclosed that 380 Nigerians were deported for immigration and other offences in May.

    Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) in charge of Lagos and Ogun States, Musa Maza stated this on Wednesday during a visit of Chinese Youths Association (CYA) to his office in Alausa.

    Maza who said the arrest was made in May at Seme Border, Badagry, added that the suspects resided in different areas of the state.

    According to him, the suspects have been handed over to the Beninnese security forces for further investigation and prosecution.

    “The eagle-eyed immigration officers were able to apprehend 40 ECOWAS nationals who were mainly Beninese and in possession of the Nigerian PVCs. These cards were seized from them.

    Of the 380 Nigerians deported, Maza said 311 were repatriated through regular scheduled flights, when 69 were boarded on special flights.

    “From the sea port, 1,171 foreign nationals arrived on our shores between 5 and 11 May, while 941 foreigners departed from Nigeria to their countries.

    “From the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, we recorded some deportees; 380 Nigerians were deported for immigration and other offences from various countries in the month of May. 311 of them were deported on regular scheduled flights, while 69 were deported aboard a special flight.

    “Normal arrival, a total of 97,133 passengers arrived during this period. They consist of 72,699 Nigerians and 24,434 other nationals. A breakdown of the arrivals showed that 14,043 visitors came into the country last month while 4,787 residents came back through the MMIA.

    “The departed people were 77,090 passengers. While 57,979 of them were Nigerians, 19,111 were other nationals.

    “Then, on the reports from our border patrols, a total of 91 irregular immigrants were refused entry into the country in the month of May, while 60 Nigerians who were in possession of valid travelling documents were refused departures,” he stated.

    On the visit of the Chinese youths, Maza said it was to boost the business relationship between both nations.

    He said: “The essence of this visit is to give recognition and to appreciate each other’s contributions towards ensuring a free flow of business activities. We all know that the government of the day is serious about encouraging investments from abroad. Investors are being wooed to come over here to do business with us in order to improve the economy of this country.

    “And it is in line with this principle that the NIS, Zone A, have continually demonstrated her resolve to assist genuine investors that come into our country to do business. We have actually been very friendly with the Chinese. We have created very conducive atmosphere for their businesses to flourish.

    “I want to quickly add that we do this without compromising the extant laws and regulations of the NIS. In effect, we constantly and solidly emphasis on the need for maximum compliance, and to the best of our knowledge in our interactions with them, the Chinese have been very compliant, and that is why we identify with them.

    In his remark, President, CYA , Isaac Zeng, said the Chinese were satisfied with the reception of Nigerians towards them and their businesses.

    He said: “Any Nigerian who wants to do business in China should get the certificates and bring the FDI. I have been in Nigeria since 2003. We are supporting Nigeria in all its policies.”

  • ‘NIS was ill-prepared for botched 2014 recruitment exercise’

    ‘NIS was ill-prepared for botched 2014 recruitment exercise’

    A former Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) David Paradang said Friday that the service was ill-prepared for the botched 2014 recruitment exercise in which about 20 job seekers died and were 165 injured.

    Paradang spoke in Abuja Friday while testifying for the second day in the trial of former Interior Minister, Abba Moro and others before the Federal High Court.

    Moror is charged with a former Permanent Secretary in the Interior Ministry, Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia‎, an ex-director in the ministry, Felix .O Alayebami and a firm, Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited, on an 11-count charge.

    They are being tried over their alleged involvement in the botched 2014 recruitment exercise of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) while Moro was Minister.

    They are accused of defrauding 675, 675 graduate applicants of about N675,675,000 having been made to pay N1000 each as processing fees for 5,000 (five thousand) job openings.

    The four defendants were also accused of breaching the Public Procurement Act, No. 65 of 2007 in the award of the contract for the organisation of the recruitment test to Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.

    Testifying Friday, Paradang told the court that service was not financially ready for the exercise.

    Paradang was Comptroller General of the NIS from June 2013 to August 2015, during which the botched recruitment exercise was conducted.

    Led in evidence by prosecution lawyer, Aliyu Yusuf, Paradang said: “We had no money to fund the recruitment exercise. But on 14 March, 2014, I was told by NIS zonal controllers that they had received N300, 000 each from the service’s board.

    “The N300, 000 was inadequate as it could not even rent a venue for the recruitment exercise. There were supposed to be ambulances and allowances for the NIS personnel who conducted the job exercise,” he said.

    On how he learnt about the day of the exercise, Paradang said: “At about the third week of January 2014 we were at the National Assembly with all the senior officers of the Ministry when the 1st defendant (Morro) announced that March 15th 2014 has been fixed for recruitment exercise which was very surprising to all of us.

    “After we went back to the office and told the management team of the date of the recruitment exercise that was been announced by Morro we began to get ready.

    “But we started to mobilise road in state command to begin together ready thinking ahead of time to secure venue and make adequate preparation,” Paradang said.

    He added that he was in Plateau State with Morro, on the day of the exercise, when he started receiving text messages, informing him of stampede at the venue of the recruitment exercise nationwide

    “Immediately I heard this I quickly asked for permission from the Minister to allow me return to Abuja to coordinate and he agreed and I left.

    “I was calling each command to give me a verbal report and directed them to write the report at a close of day we had fifteen casualties and 165 injured people.

    “After this, there was national outcry and we went from ward to ward and promised to pay the bills thereafter.

    “The National Assembly later had an open hearing on the case. At the National Assembly, we were asked to state our position and the president spoke in sober tone to the nation.

    “The President (Good luck Jonathan) said that the family of those who died will be given 3 employment and those who were injured will be given a job.

    “The President set up a presidential committee to conduct a fresh exercise except the deceased people who were separated from the exercise.

    “Immediately after the letters were sent (letters of recruitment to victims’ family members) the board (board of the Interior Ministry) asked them (the relatives of the deceased victims) to bring back the letters of appointment. The ministry said that the appointments given to them were illegal,” said Mr. Paradang.

    In a ruling earlier, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba admitted documents containing the names of the board members and a memo containing their response concerning the recruitment exercise, which the defence team had opposed the previous day.

    Justice Dimgba dismissed the defence team’s objection and admitted the documents as evidence, but directed the prosecution to pay the required fees within seven days

    The judge held that the defect in the admissibility of the documents was curable through the payment of the requisite fees.

    He adjourned to July 1 and 5 for continuation of trial.