No fewer than 29 illegal immigrants of Nigerien origin have been reprimanded by the Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service.
According to the Nation, of the 79 arrested, 29 of them had no resident papers.
Comptroller of Immigration, Lagos Command, Mrs. Clara Okojie, said the raid was carried out to rid the state of illegal immigrants.
Also Unit supervisor, Immigration of ECOWAS Section, Abdullahi Azare, said the arrests were done following a tip off and that the foreign indigenes nabbed will be deported to Niger.
Azare also stated that anyone of ECOWAS origin, who decides to come to Nigeria, either for business or tourism would be welcomed provided they acquire the necessary documentation from the Immigration Service.
Human Resource Manager, 2IC, and a Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Ahmed Yusuf, added that by ECOWAS protocol, there was free movement of member nations to other countries, but those found without proper travel documents should be repatriated back to their home country.
One of the culprits, who work as a Kaya merchant, (water porter) spoke on how poverty forced him out of his Niger home.
He said “It’s from selling water that I am able to send money to my family in Niger.
“I don’t want to go back please.
“I had the document before and no one asked me for it. Now it is misplaced, I am caught.”
Okojie disclosed further that the raid will continue, soliciting support from members of the public who he urged to report suspected illegal immigrants in their neighborhood to officers in charge.
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