A suspected illegal immigrant from the
Niger Republic, Shuaib Kaneda, says many
illegal immigrants usually entered Nigeria by paying between N300 and N500 to unidentified persons.
Shuaib added that he had spent eight years
in Nigeria, but could not acquire valid
documents before he was arrested by
officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service,
Lagos State Command.
The 34-year-old was among 82 illegal
immigrants paraded on Wednesday at the
command’s office in Alagbon, Lagos.
The suspects were said to have been
arrested at different parts of the Lagos
Island area after an intelligence report.
Shuaib was arrested along with a relative,
Idris, who had spent barely one year in the
country when he was caught.
Shuaib, who spoke in pidgin, said, “I have
been here for about eight years now. I work
as a loader and make between N1, 000 and
N1, 500 a day. I use the money I make to
feed my family in the Niger Republic. I am
married and have two children and they are
in Niger.
“I travel home every six or eight months.
The people at the border see many of us
when we come in. Sometimes, they collect
N300 and other times, we give them N500
before we pass.”
His brother, Idris, also explained that he
came into the country to make money
which he usually sent home to his family of
three.
Another suspect, Alimaru Saliade, told
PUNCH Metro that he sneaked into the
country by mixing up with cows being
transported into Nigeria.
Saliade, who claimed not to know his age,
said in pidgin, “I followed cows to Lagos. I
have been here for four years now and I
have not been able to get my documents
because I don’t have money.”
For Yaya Ibrahim, coming to Lagos was to
avoid being idle in the village.
“I was in my village and was not doing
anything. So, my uncle asked me to come
and work in Lagos and that was how I found
myself here. My parents live in Ghana but
we are from Niger,” he said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria
Immigration Service, Lagos State Command,
Muyiwa Odunubi, said the command raided
the suspects based on intelligence report.
He said while some of the suspects were
caught around banks’ branches, others were
found sleeping under the bridge and
“constituting nuisance to residents”.
He said, “We have a surveillance team that
keeps a tab on illegal immigrants in the
state. When our men went out, they got
them in all manner of places. Some were
caught around banks, others were found
sleeping under benches. Even fuel stations
were not spared.
“In the Idumota area of the state for
instance, we found that they have a room
where they sleep. It is not clear whether
they rented the apartment or somebody
gave them the place. We introduced
ourselves and arrested them; they never
resisted.
The Comptroller of the state’s command,
Mrs. Justina Ahmadu, commended the
officials, adding that the service would
intensify efforts to rid the state of anything
that could constitute security risk.
She waved away Shuaib’s claim, saying
most of the illegal immigrants came into
the country through unauthorised routes
because they did not have valid documents
that could guarantee their stay.
“This is a continuous exercise and we will
continue to we.ed out illegal immigrants
from the state. Anyone without a valid
passport or resident’s card will be sent
packing.
“We appeal to Lagosians to cooperate with
us during our operations by not harbouring
any illegal immigrant or fighting our men.
This is the only way they can assist us to
discharge our functions efficiently,” she
said.
Source: Punch
