By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
The Nigeria Immigration Service ( NIS) said it has confiscated 3,823 National Identity cards and 2,393 voters cards from migrants.
The Comptroller -General of Immigration, Isah Idris Jere, who stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, at a retreat organised for top management staff of the service; zonal coordinators and comptrollers of commands/formations at the service headquarters, added that the items were confiscated in 21 border states in the country.
While displaying the bags containing the 3,823 National Identity cards and 2,393 confiscated voters cards, Jere listed the states where the items were confiscated to include; Nasarawa, Kebbi, Sokoto , Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, Yobe , Kwara, Taraba, Plateau, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo , Zamfara, Jigawa, Edo , Bauchi and Niger , and three others.
Jere, who urged his men and officers to see the February 25 and March 11, 2023 exercises as an opportunity to showcase their proficiency in border management and intelligence gathering experiences , warned that any officer caught compromising would be considered as a saboteur and would be made to face the wrath.
The CG, who warned that stiff sanctions await any migrant who attempts to participate in the nation’s electoral process, said, the arrested culprits had since been returned to their countries in line with ECOWAS recommendation on Free Movement.
He said, the 2022 Electoral Law and indeed, the 1999 constitution as amended placed a legal burden on all stakeholders in the electoral process, especially, the NIS, this is why we have resolved to hold comptrollers responsible for any failure recorded by their men.
The CGI reiterated government’s commitment to a free and fair electoral process for the general elections, and charged heads of commands and formations across the country to upscale surveillance activities in all locations including border crossing points to ensure successful elections.
Idris while stressing the service’s ethical obligation and commitment to maintain political neutrality in the discharge of statutory duties, said, “As Para-military officers, we are prohibited from political partisanship before, during and after the elections. Therefore, the service is seizing the opportunity to sensitise all personnel through their respective comptrollers on the need to remain apolitical before, during and after the elections as members of the service.”
