Borders Extortion: Nigerians In West Africa Countries Calls On The Police, Immigration Authorities To Checkmate The Harrashment And Forcefully Bribes By The Operatives At Borders
By Raheem Ibrahim
Some nigerians residing in West Africa Countries have alleged incessant harassment and forcefull extortion by operatives of the Nigeria Immigration Service and Police at Seme and Idiroko borders.
Speaking at the Ilorin Emirates Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) National conference held at Fufu in Ilorin South Local government Secretariat last week Wednesday, they lamented that the Harrashment and the forcefull extortion by operatives of NIS and Police at the two borders discourage many of them from coming home for the yearly event.
According to them, “We are always subjected into several harrashment if we refused to give them money before we are allowed to enter our mother’s land. When they start their searching and they see cash with us, they openly demanded for some percentage before we are allowed to enter despite the fact that we have all necessary documents”.
“Also, some of us who are students, the operatives will insist of collecting cash from us before we are allowed to enter. No all of us are business people or smugglers.
“The most disheartening is that, security operatives at other countries borders don’t give us any problem but when we get to Nigeria borders, there’s always problem, even after they have done the routing checking”, they lamented.
They however called on the National President of IEDPU to come to their aid by talking to the authorities concerned to address the matter urgently.
Responding, the National President of IEDPU who is the Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration (rtd), Alhaji Abdulmumini Ayo Abdulmalik, pledged to take up the matter and liase with the authorities concerned, promising that there will be change as soon as possible.
He affirmed that there are some bad eggs among the operatives who misbehave whenever there is nobody to challenge them but “there is going to be improvement for better service to our people soon”.
The ACGI advised that whenever they want to travel back home, they should always inform the Nigeria Embassies in their various countries of residence who will surely contact the operatives to protect and not to harrass them.
The National President also gave them the phone numbers of the Chairman IEDPU Western Zone (which includes all West Africa Countries), Alhaji Ahmed Suleiman Iyanda, Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, O/C of Investigation & Compliance, Lagos Command, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi to always liase with him whenever they have any problem during their trips.
The IEDPU national conference is an annual event holding on every December 25th and 26th, where sons and daughters of Ilorin Emirates, consisting Ilorin West, Ilorin East, Ilorin South, Asa and Moro Local government areas residing at home, Nigeria and abroad come together to meet with His Royal majesty, the Emir of Ilorin, Sheikh Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari and other eminent personalities from the Emirates.
