BEVERLY HILLS, June 01, (THEWILL) – Newly appointed Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Mr. Muhammad Babandede has directed officers of the Service in all parts of the country to start apprehending all former government officials, including governors and ministers, who failed to relinquish their diplomatic passports after leaving office.
He gave this instruction on Monday while briefing officers in the cadre of comptroller and above as part of activities marking his official assumption of duties at the conference hall inside the NIS headquarters in Abuja.
Disclosing that the Service had so far retrieved about 158 diplomatic passports and 310 official passports, Babandede revealed that surveillance had been placed at the nation’s airports to arrest any unqualified holders of those categories of passports.
His words, “In view of the earlier publication for return of official/diplomatic passports by former political officeholders and retired public servants, it must be noted that charges will be pressed against unauthorised holders of such documents.
“This is because such persons are no longer in the eligibility list and, therefore, in contradiction of Section 10 of the extant Immigration Act, 2015.
“I am hereby directing that unauthorised holders of such passports be arrested at the airports and other points of entry/departure. Efforts will be made also to trace such unauthorised holders in their given addresses.”
The new NIS boss promised tougher sanctions against unscrupulous personnel, observing that they are “heartless officers who are setting up illegal check-points to extort Nigerians.” He insisted that the Service, under him, must be returned to the path of honour, integrity, discipline and unalloyed commitment to national security for which it was reputed.
