A senior officer with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Barrister Daniel Makolo, has petitioned the presidency over what he described as complicity by the Mohammed Babandede-led management of the service, accusing him of operating illegal ‘detention camp’.
The accuser, who petitioned President Muhamadu Buhari, also asked the presidency to investigate the NIS boss over the growing wave of herdsmen/farmers clashes across the country.
He asked the president to also probe the activities of the Ministry of Interior under Abdulrahman Dambazau, especially with regards to issues of recruitment and promotion in the service.
The petition dated August 16, 2017 and made available to journalists in Abuja is titled: “Need to Declare a State of Emergency in Nigeria Immigration Service, Board CDFIPB and the supervising Ministry of Interior.”
The petition also alleged that “the Nigeria Immigration Service has powers to have and maintain screening centre but not Detention camps or centre.
“Today, we are witnessing situation of human rights abuses in the name of a detention centre. Recently an Immigration Officer, Late Mr. Luka Andrew of the armoury department died in a questionable circumstance full of foul play on the orders of the Comptroller-General, Mr. Muhammed Babandede.
“Another officer, Mr. Luka L. Mutum, an Assistant Comptroller of Immigration with service N0 11590 has been in Detention at the service head office for about ten (10) months on the orders of the Comptroller-General of Immigration Mr. Muhammed Babandede, who sometimes order junior officers to assault him.
“Many other people, Nigerians and none Nigerians, are kept in the detention camp unlawfully and against any known law in Nigeria or service without recourse for any court order to do so or grant administrative bail. This is inhuman, unlawful, wrongful and uncivilised in the 21st century.”
As at the time of filing this report, efforts to reach both the NIS boss and the Service spokesman, Sunday James, proved abortive.
