Anambra State Command of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) yesterday, arrested over 400 illegal immigrants into Anambra State. The illegal immigrants were arrested at different points in five Local Government area of Awka North and South, Onitsha North and South and Nnewi North council areas. Upon interrogation and profiling by the men and officers of Immigration service at their state headquarters in Awka, it was discovered that most of the suspected illegal immigrants have no residence permit or ECOWAS travelling certificate. Some of the suspects turned violence and refused arrest as one of them identified as Suleman Yahaya stabbed one of the officers of Immigration service with his dagger which he tied on his waste. As at press time, the officer was rushed at an undisclosed hospital for treatment. Briefing newsmen in his office, the newly posted Controller of Immigration, Anambra state Command, Mr. Chude Darlinton said the exercise is the immigration’s routine mop up operation by the service to secure the State and nation by identifying foreigners who found themselves in the country through illegal routs. He informed that after profiling, Nigerians among them will be allowed to go while the illegal immigrants will be repatriated, even as he warned those who has invalid travelling document to regularise their stay as the command is committed in riding the state off illegal immigrants. “We have our systematic way of doing that and that is why we keep our eyes on the immigrants in Anambra state because we want to make sure that all illegal immigrants leave the state. “Some of them who are guilty will be taken to the Service headquarters, Abuja for our Controller general, Mr. Paradan David to see them before repatriating them” he said. Mr. Darlinton said the Service is cuing into the state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano’s principles of riding the state off all suspected criminal elements, hoping that the State governor will extend his good gesture to the NIS to enable them carry out their civic responsibilities. Collaborating the State Controller’s stand, the Officer in charge of Border Patrol ECOWAS, African Affairs and state Deputy Controller of Immigration, Mr Gilbert Ilogu said the service is facing lots of challenging in terms of boarder control as, according to him, Nigeria has over 400 legal border patrol. “To curb the influx of illegal immigrants into the country, federal government has set up a special taskforce to study the boarders and discover more routs. Government has also put in place the training of border patrol officers and the Immigration service headquarters has deployed a lot of officers, courtesy of our Controller General, Mr. Paradan David” he said.
