Voters’ Registration: 5 foreigners nabbed

Posted by admin Elections 2011 Sunday, January 30th, 2011

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has arrested five foreigners for allegedly attempting to participate in the ongoing voters’ registration in Lagos. The five persons comprising three women and two men are currently facing interrogation at the NIS office at Alagbon Close, Ikoyi.

Comptroller of Immigration, Lagos State Command, Mr Ahmed Suleiman who paraded the suspects in his office at the weekend said the service was trying to uncover the motive of the foreigners for attempting to register when they had not applied for the right of citizenship.

Suleiman who disclosed that the suspects were arrested at the Alimosho and Agege areas of the state said after interrogation, the suspects would be handed over to appropriate agency for prosecution.

He warned that foreigners should desist from participating in the ongoing registration as the service would not condone such criminal offence. He insisted the act was against Nigerian constitution for foreigners who had not been given the right of citizenship to vote or be voted in during election. He revealed that as strategy to make sure that foreigners do not register, the service had deployed plain clothe officers in all the nooks and crannies of the state to fish out foreigners.

He called on foreign embassies and leaders to educate their citizens on the evil of registration as Nigerian government would not tolerate such criminality. He also called on landlords, community leaders and Nigerian citizens to report to the nearest police station or the immigration offices on anyone suspected to be foreigners attempting to register.

He however appealed to landlords and other citizens not to harass foreigners going about their normal duties but to report only those that are attempting to register or engaging in other criminal activities. He concluded by warning foreigners to steer clear of registration points or polling stations or risk the wrath of the service.

Speaking with one of the suspects who simply identified himself as Abubakar, he told Daily Sun that he had no uterior motive but that when he saw people moving enmass to register, he decided to join in the exercise.
On whether he would have voted if he had succeeded in registering, he said he would have voted since he did not know it was an offence.

A female suspect, Alima claimed that she had resided in Nigeria for over 15years and thought that the number of years she had spent in the countrywould qualified her to vote.

-Sunwp_posts