The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it has seized
over 6,000 national identity and voter cards from migrants in 21 border states.
Speaking on Wednesday at a retreat for top management staff
of the service in Abuja, Isa Jere, controller general of the NIS, said 3,823
identity cards and 2,393 voter cards unlawfully possessed by migrants were
intercepted and confiscated.
He said that the documents were intercepted in Nasarawa,
Kebbi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, Yobe, Kwara, Taraba, Plateau, Lagos,
Ogun, Oyo, Zamfara, Jigawa, Edo, Bauchi, Niger, and three other states.
NAN quoted Jere as saying that the cards were seized in
ongoing operations to ensure that migrants from neighbouring countries did not
participate in the forthcoming elections.
He said the culprits had been arrested and returned to their
countries in line with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
protocol on free movement.
Jere warned that stiff sanctions would be meted out to any
migrant who attempts to participate in the nation’s electoral process.
He tasked all immigration personnel to regard the
forthcoming elections as an opportunity to showcase their border management and
intelligence-gathering proficiency.
He said those caught compromising their duties would be
treated as saboteurs and dealt with in accordance with the law.
Jere said the 2022 electoral act and the 1999 constitution
had placed a legal burden on all stakeholders in the electoral process,
especially the NIS.
“This is why we resolved to hold comptrollers responsible
for any failure recorded by their men,” he said.
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