Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) bars 7,836 Nigerians from travelling abroad

A total of 7,836 Nigerians were prevented from travelling out of the country by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) within the first six months of 2014.

In addition, another set of 4,896 were deported from various countries of the world within the same period, the NIS Public Relations Officer, Chukwuemeka Obua, said on Wednesday, at the Media Parley of the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA) hosted I-Nigerian Initiative in Abuja.

He said many reasons accounted for why some Nigerians were refused permission to leave the country, including doubts concerning their motive and conflicting travelling documents, as their destination countries might decide to refuse them entry.

Obua, who spoke about the successes and challenges of the Service since the current Comptroller General, Mr David Paradang, was appointed, disclosed that to make the business of border patrolling/policing more effective, the Service had embarked on specialised training of the Border Patrol Corps and indeed, the first batch of 1,000 officers had passed out and deployed.

He pointed out that the Service had procured and distributed 59 four-wheel jeeps, in addition to All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), communication gadgets and porter cabins to accommodate officers and men at their patrol bases.

The spokesperson of the Immigration Service also stated that with the renewed border patrolling, foreigners with both national identity cards and voters’ card had been intercepted while human trafficking syndicates had been busted along the Nigeria/Cameroon border with Benue State.

”Currency traffickers and smugglers of small arms hadalso been intercepted in the course of border patrol operations,” he added.

He said “Additional 24 Immigration officers are attached to 12 new missions in furtherance of government’s citizens diplomacy policy thrust, as well as the commencement of the Electronic Passenger Automated Registration System (e-PARS).

He added that through robust internal monitoring and control, continuous mob-up of irregular immigrants had been intensified where thousands of irregular immigrants had been repatriated.

He explained that NIS currently had staff strength of about 22,000 with an approval to recruit additional 5,000 every year but that since the 2012 exercise, another round of recruitment had not been done.

”An attempt to recruit officers earlier this year ended in a fiasco, as scores of applicants died during the exercise in different parts of the country,” he said.

He appealed to Nigerians to be patient with government, as the presidential committee the recruitment matters, headed by the chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), was still working.

Obua said Nigerians refused admission abroad stood at 1,917 Nigerians refused departure was 7,836 while foreigners refused admission to Nigeria was 19,668 within the same period.

Also the immigration service recorded 713,218 arrivals to Nigeria, 810,635 departures from Nigeria, 392,893 foreigners arrival and 370,792 foreigner departures within the same period.

Obua noted that lack of manpower and equipment had been hampering the effective patrol of Nigeria’s extensive borders.

According to him, because of the disciplinary and corruption-free stance of the comptroller general, Paradang, the appointment of 10 officers were terminated, two demoted, four issued with warning letters while another two were discharged and acquitted within January and October 2014.

On the Pakistan national that committed suicide in immigration cell last week, Obua said the case was reported to the immigration service by a lady whom they didn’t know whether was his girlfriend.

He said immediately the complaint was made, the investigation department of the service swooped into action, and saw a virgin Nigeria passport issued in the man’s name.

Consequently, he was arrested and detained to ascertain how he entered the country without a valid document.

While investigation was going, but in the night of that same day, he committed suicide in detention.

Obua said that the service has set up a high powered investigation team, while there is going to be a coroner inquest on the matter,.

In national coordinator, “I” -Nigeria, Ada Stella Apiafi, noted that the immigration service is a very vital group in a long line image makers of the nation, as they are major point of contact for every first time visitor to the country, for outgoing Nigerians and for incoming Nigerians particularly those in the Diaspora.

Some of the other achievements recorded by the Service since “obtaining government approval on 7th August, 2013 to rejuvenate the Border Patrol Division of the Service through the establishment of the Special Border Patrol Corps with the right training, regimentation, equipment and attitude to effectively patrol our expansive and extensive border” include creation of 30 more Control Posts (i.e recognized entry and exit points) and additional 27 Patrol Bases to cover the flanks of the Control Posts.

Giving further breakdown of figures of travellers, Obua noted that between January and June this year, total arrival and departures from Nigeria amounted to 2,287,536 made up of 1,181 departures and 1,106,109 arrivals into the country through authorises routes.

Of this figures again, 3,825 foreigners were repatriated and 19,668 foreigners refused admission into the country and1,917 Nigerians were refused admission abroad.

Meanwhile he also disclosed that NIS lost 40 officers to the activities of insurgents and terrorists during the period aside from many others who were wounded.

NIS has also taken disciplinary actions against some of its men found to have behaved below the minimum ethical standards. Ten officers had their appointments terminated, two were demoted, another four got warning letters while two were discharged and acquitted of the offences for which they were charged.wp_posts