Nigeria: Heads to Roll Over Nigeria-Bound IS Chief

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Latest Politics Thursday, August 20th, 2015

By Ronald Mutum, Francis Okeke and Joshua Odeyemi

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into how an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) leader secured a valid Nigerian visa in Lebanon, Daily Trust learnt yesterday.

Imam Ahmed Al-Assir, who was sentenced to death in absentia and had been on the run since 2013, was arrested on Friday at the airport in Lebanon on his way to Nigeria through Egypt.

He was carrying a fake Palestinian passport with Nigerian visa.

Credible sources told Daily Trust that the presidency felt embarrassed and scandalised that a man on the international terror list had obtained a Nigerian visa and was on his way to the country. The sources told our reporter that it was even worrisome for the government that Al-Assir was trying to enter Nigeria at a time when the country is trying to put down the Boko Haram insurgency that has caused so much death and destruction.

The government had therefore directed the three agencies involved – the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Nigerian Immigration Service to immediately investigate the matter and report back soonest.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bulus Lolo, said the Federal Government had begun investigations on a wanted terrorist granted a Nigerian visa in Lebanon to visit Nigeria.

Lolo said this while addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday. He explained that the Nigerian Charge d’Affairs in Lebanon had met with Lebanese authorities to look into the matter.
“I have commenced my own investigation process. I spoke to our Charge d’Affairs in Lebanon and he has met with the Lebanese authorities.
“The Charge d’Affairs said the matter was being looked into but the facts that were emerging would suggest that what the media had reported was not entirely the true story.
“It seems that this individual is of Palestine extraction and has resided for a very long time in Lebanon. He has residency and as you know Lebanon for quite some time has granted full residency to Palestinian refugees.
“So this may be one of such individual but that he did not use his true name is what is of interest to us. This is because the name he presented with the passport that was reported as Palestinian does not tally with what the Lebanese has as his name,” he said.
The NIA and the Nigeria Immigration have also commenced their own investigations into the matter.
A senior NIA official who spoke to Daily Trust yesterday on the condition of anonymity said the agency responsible of Nigeria’s externally security is rattled and concerned about a wanted terrorist’s travel plans to Nigeria.
He said the issue is already being investigated and the organization will soon uncover how the terrorist who is on an international watch list obtained visa to travel to Nigeria.
Nigeria, he said has a full-fledged embassy in Lebanon, he explained that there are three categories of people who approve the issuance of visa at embassies namely staff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria Immigration and the NIA.

-Daily Trust
The NIA official argued that procedurally and administratively NIA officials are more thorough in screening visa applications because of their security training and background.wp_posts