The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian Immigration Service

  • Senate to investigate death of 26 Nigerian girls on Mediterranean

    Senate to investigate death of 26 Nigerian girls on Mediterranean

    The Senate is to investigate  the death of 26 young Nigerian girls on the Mediterranean while travelling to Italy.

    The measure followed a resolution on a motion “On death of 26 Young Nigerian Girls en route Italy”, sponsored by Sen. Rose Oko (PDP-Cross-River) during Thursday’s plenary.

    The assembly also commended the Italian authorities for immediately stepping into the matter with the hope of resolving the murders.

    It called on the Federal Government to set up an inter-agency committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigerian Immigration Service, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons  to immediately work out a strategy to check such development.

    The Senate also called on government to declare a state of emergency on unemployment and come out with more pro-active measures to engage the youth.

    “On Nov. 6 it was reported by national and international media the gruesome story of the dead bodies of 26 young Nigerian girls of ages 14 to 18 discovered in a Spanish warship.

    “The suspicion was that they were sexually abused and murdered,” Oko said.

    She noted that there was mass exodus of young Nigerian boys and girls illegally attempting to migrate to Europe, especially to Italy and Spain.

    “These journeys are through the perilous long and hazardous Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean sea.

    “They run into the hands of bandits, are abused and raped and the dangerous sea waves often in rickety rubber boats.

    “This has led to the death of several of them almost every week,”  the senator said.

    She said that as of May, it was reported that about 10,000 Nigerians had perished along the Sahara Desert-Libya- Mediterranean Sea route.

    She noted that Italian prosecutors who had begun investigation into the death of the girls had arrested an Egyptian and a Libyan as suspects.

    “This mass exodus of our children from the relative safety and security of home to the often cold hands of death have arisen and are increasing as a result of the economic hardships at home, including the unemployment situation in Nigeria.”

    She said it was time to go beyond the mere feeling of horror to taking pro-active, urgent and emergency measures to address the root causes of the exodus, including massive enlightenment on the dangers therein.

    Oko added that an inter-agency cooperation and collaboration was urgently needed by government to address this problem.

    Sen. Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) described the incident  as a national tragedy.

    “It is unfortunate that year in year out thousands of Africans, including Nigerians, perish on their way to Europe in search of greener pastures,”  Sani said.

    He said that factors that led to the exodus included poverty, economic instability, unrealisable dreams and illusions as well as other components related to drug trafficking and terrorism.

    “It is unfortunate that we continue to ignore this tragedy that is before us; 26 lives lost is one tragedy too many,” Sani said.

    He called for actions that would stop young men and women moving into the hands of drug and human traffickers.

    “It is high time that the relevant agencies of government did everything possible to stem the tide.”

    Sen. Suleiman Adokwe (PDP-Nasarawa State) said: “since the Italian Government was investigating, it is expected of the Nigerian government to by now, make definite statements as to how they will expect the Italian government to investigate this thing thoroughly.

    “We must be proactive,” Adokwe said.

    In his remarks, the Deputy President of the Senate, Mr Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, said government owed citizens of Nigeria the responsibility to provide the basic needs of life.

    “We must not fail on this responsibility. It is important for us to think of how to provide social security for our people.

    “We should ensure that every Nigerian has food to eat.

    “There is no money on the streets outside the country.

    “The young men and women should know that it is better for us to stay back in Nigeria and be able to build a better country.”

    NAN

  • S/Court’s officer misled NIS on Justice Ngwuta’s passports – Witness

    S/Court’s officer misled NIS on Justice Ngwuta’s passports – Witness

    A senior official of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Tanko Kutana has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that his agency was misled into issuing new passports to Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court.

    Kutana, who was testifying at the resumption of Justice Ngwuta’s trial, said the judge was able to obtain two diplomatic passports, which he used interchangeably by virtue of the misinformation given NIS by a Supreme Court’s Protocol Officer, identified as Mrs L. Nwankwo.

    The witness, who was being cross-examined by Ngwuta’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN) said Mrs Nwakwo, in a letter to NIS, said she was “directed” to inform the NIS that Justice Ngwuta had lost the first diplomatic passport, following which a new one was issued to the judge.

    Kutana said the claims in Mrs Nwonkwo’s letter, written on a letterhead of the Supreme Court, was later discovered to be untrue because the judge allegedly continued to use both passports.

    Justice Ngwuta is being tried on a 13-count charge,in which he is accused among others, of engaging in money laundering.

    The witness said:”The letter sent by Mrs L. Nwakwo was intended to misinform the Nigerian Immigration Service that the defendant lost the passport.

     “This is as confirmed by the subsequent conduct of the defendant by using the passport even after declaring the passport missing.”

    When asked if the alleged “misinformation” constituted an offence, Kutana answered in the affirmative but quickly added that the apex court’s protocol officer acted under instruction.

    “Under our laws, it is a serious offence. But remember she acted under instruction,” he said.

    On whether he questioned the Supreme Court’s protocol officer and how he became aware that Nwakwo acted according to instruction, Kutata said, “I never met her”, but added, “she stated in her letter sent to us that she was ‘directed’.”

    Kutana, who said he had been in the service of the NIS for 29 years, was also asked if the Immigration service would issue a new passport to an applicant “unless satisfied that the previous one was lost.

     “As of that time, it was issued we had no reason to doubt the claim of a Justice of the Supreme Court who swore an oath that his passport was lost and reported same to the police.”

    Kutana said he had seen people, who, on recovering their lost passports, returned it to the NIS.

    He said while a passport declared missing would be “cancelled” electronically, an applicant who found a missing passport would still have to present it to the Immigration service for “physical cancellation”. 

    The witness said the physical cancellation of a passport was necessary because a passport presented to a border management speaks for itself. The passport has information like the date of issuance and date of expiration.

    He added: “An immigration officer is bound by the information. That is why a passport declared missing but later found has to be physically cancelled.”

    On whether the judge’s continued usage of both passports could have been “a genuine mistake,” the witness said only the court could determine if it was a “genuine mistake.” 

    He said it could not have been a genuine mistake since the judge kept on using both the new passport and the one declared lost.

    Kutana confirmed that there were no visas endorsed on the passport after it was declared missing but said “there were departure and arrival endorsements on it.

    “A citizen of a member state of ECOWAS does not need any visa to enter such countries visited by the defendant.

    “A Nigerian does not need a visa to visit such country as South Africa, China and Morocco,” Kutana said.

    The trial judge, Justice Tsoho later adjourned the further trial to October 20.

  • NIS recruitment scam: Court chides EFCC over failure to produce witness

    NIS recruitment scam: Court chides EFCC over failure to produce witness

    The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday chided the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over its conduct in the prosecution of former Interior Minister, Abba Moro, describing it as “sloppy prosecution.”

    Moro is being prosecuted alongside a former Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia, and a Deputy Director in the ministry, F. O. Alayebami, over alleged N676 million recruitment fraud.

    Others being tried with Moro are one Mahmood Ahmadu, who is at large, and Drexel Tech Nigeria Limited, the firm that handled the Nigerian Immigration Service, (NIS) recruitment in 2014.

    The judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, criticised the anti-graft agency over its failure to produce the fourth prosecution witness in court for continuation of trial.

    “This is your case and you have to arrange it in such a way as to avoid such occurrences. Your reasons sound a little sloppy with due respect.

    “If I strike out this case for want of diligent prosecution, a lot of noise would be made by people who were not in court.

    “We have to stop this nonsense and let it not repeat itself, you have to be ready for trial at the next adjourned date or else I will take the necessary action.”

    The prosecuting counsel, Mrs Elizabeth Alabi, who held brief for Mr Aliu Yusuf, informed the court, when the matter was called that the witness, a bank official based in Lagos, could not be communicated with during the Sallah break.

    Alabi said that as a result of the prosecution’s inability to reach the witness, he could not be prepared to give his testimony.

    She said that the witness was on subpoena and prayed the court for an adjournment.

    “My lord, the fourth prosecution witness is not in court. He is a subpoenaed witness and we were unable to hold a pre-trial session due to the two days public holiday, we were unable to communicate with him.

    “The witness is a banker and resides in Lagos. In the circumstances, we shall be asking for an adjournment to enable us bring our witness to court.”

    Mr Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), Moro’s lawyer expressed his dissatisfaction over the failure of the prosecution to bring the witness to court.

    Kehinde opposed the application for adjournment and urged the court to compel the prosecution to sign an undertaking to have its witness in court on the next adjourned date.

    Mr Chris Uche (SAN), counsel to Daniel-Nwobia maintained that when the prosecution failed to reach the witness in Lagos, other witnesses in the matter should have been prepared to attend the day’s proceedings.

    Similarly, S. I. Ameh, another defence counsel, argued that a subpoena was not just a document but an authority issued by the court.

    He held that since the subpoenaed witness disobeyed the order, the legal thing to do was to teach the witness a legal lesson by ordering for a warrant to be issued on him.

    The matter was adjourned until Oct. 4.

  • 1,268 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya in five months — NEMA

    1,268 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya in five months — NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said 1,268 Nigerians had voluntarily returned from Libya from December 15, 2016 to May 16, 2017.

    Alhaji Mustapha Maihaja, the Director General, NEMA, made the disclosure while receiving a fresh batch of 258 Nigerians who arrived on Tuesday in Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the returnees arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard a chartered Libya Airlines Airbus A330-200 with registration number 5A-LAU at about 8:30pm.

    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.

    Also on ground to receive them were officials of NEMA, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    Maihaja, who was represented by Dr Onimode Bandele, the Deputy Director, Search and Rescue, said the fresh returnees came along with 20 children and infants.

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

    According to him, another batch of Nigerians is expected back on May 25, and the exercise will continue as long as those stranded in Libya are willing to return home.

    “Since December 2016, we have been able to bring back 1,268 Nigerians and the exercise will continue in collaboration with the IOM.

    “The Federal Government is collaborating with the various state governments to rehabilitate and reintegrate the returnees,” he said.

    Also speaking, Ms Julia Burpee, Public Information Officer, IOM, said the organisation had facilitated the return of over 7,000 Nigerians from various countries in the past 16 years.

    She said the organisation would assist the returnees to get back on their feet and would provide assistance to others willing to leave the North African country.

     

  • Unity Bank supports Nigerian Immigration Service

    Unity Bank supports Nigerian Immigration Service

    Unity Bank Plc has upgraded the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) lounge in Festac Town, Lagos. The facility, the bank said, would make it easier for people to obtain and renew their international passports at the NIS office.
    The inuaguration of the facility, the bank said, supports its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) objectives of supporting programmes and projects that are in public interest.
    The bank’s Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Tomi Somefun, said the upgrade of the facility was informed by the need to provide conducive ambiance for numerous stakeholders that visit the centre for one service or the other.
    “For us at Unity Bank Plc, it is about extending our service to the public, hence, we observed the need to intervene by providing quality ambiance for the NIS Lounge with the hope that it will impact the public meaningfully,” she said.
    Mrs. Somefun, represented by the Executive Director South, Temisan Tuedor, praised NIS management at FESTAC Town for providing the platform, noting that it was the bank’s desire to continue to partner government on other touch points that could impact on the communities where they operate.
    The NIS Assistant Comptroller General in charge of Zone 2, I. Y. Ahmad, praised Unity Bank for upgrading the facility to enhance NIS service quality to numerous applicants. He called on other corporate bodies to emulate the bank’s example.

  • Recruitment scam:  Moro, others re-arraigned

    Recruitment scam:  Moro, others re-arraigned

    Former Interior Minister, Abba Moro was Wednesday re-arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja over his role in the botched 2014 Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment exercise.

    He was arraigned 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 February 29 on an 11-count charge.

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

    They were 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 also were 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.

    They pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them, following which the trial judge; Justice Nnamdi Dimgba allowed them to remain on the bail earlier granted them.

    He adjourned to June 8 for the commencement of trial.

    Their re-arraignment Wednesday before Justice Dimgba was informed by the sudden withdrawal from the case by the former trial judge, Justice Anwuri Chikere.

    Trial was to commence before Justice Chikere on April 27, when suddenly she brought proceedings to a close by announcing her withdrawal from the case, citing “personal reasons.”

  • Boko Haram: Court faults Immigration official’s detention

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has faulted the detention of an official of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Daniel Makolo, by the Department of State Service (DSS) for 21 days.

    Makolo, who was accused of having a link with the Boko Haram sect, said the ordeal resulted from his disagreement with some of his superior officers over unethical practices.

    He sued his employer, who he accused of masterminding his detention and the DSS for breach of his fundamental human rights over his November 2014 detention and seizure of his two mobile telephones.

    Justice Binta Nyako in a judgment in the suit filed by Makolo, declared his detention as unlawful and awarded N1million as exemplary damages in favour of the plaintiff for the breach of his rights.

    The money would be paid by the NIS which handed the plaintiff over to the DSS, and the agency which detained him for 21 days.

  • Court bars NDLEA from arresting Kashamu

    Court bars NDLEA from arresting Kashamu

    Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday  stopped the police and other law enforcement agencies from arresting or extraditing the Senator-elect, Prince Buruji Kashamu, to the United States to stand trial for alleged drug trafficking.

    ‎He made the order while delivering judgment in a fundamental rights suit FHC/L/CS/508/15, filed by Kashamu against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and 11 others, just as he awarded N20,000 cost in favour of the applicant against Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ahmadu Giade, and N10,000 against the National Security Adviser (NSA), Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to be paid before further steps can be taken.

    The judge declared as illegal any attempt to abduct or forcibly transport Kashamu to the U.S to stand trial in relation to drug-trafficking allegations, for which he had been exonerated by two British courts.

    He further held that having earlier obtained a subsisting court judgment in Nigeria on January 6, last year, restraining his arrest, extradition to the U.S, Kashamu cannot be arrested or extradited to the America by the respondents.

    Suspecting a conspiracy between the AGF, Mohammed Adoke and the IGP, Solomon Arase, to abduct and whisk him to U.S before his swearing-in as Senator on May 29, Kashamu had in April, instituted a suit before the court, seeking nine declarative orders against the agencies.

    ‎Other respondents in the suit include Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); Director General, State Security Service (SSS); The Interpol National Central Bureau, (NCB); the Clerk of the National Assembly; Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); Nigeria Custom Services (NCS), and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).