By Patrick Ahanor
Benin City
Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has arrested over 400 persons believed to have entered the country without valid travel documents.
Three immigration officers were reportedly injured when they were attacked during the mob-up exercise.
The suspects were said to have forced their way into Nigeria from neighbouring Chad, Mali and Niger Republic.
It was gathered that the foreigners were during the raid around 4am yesterday across the 18 local government areas of the state.
Confirming the arrest, the Edo state Comptroller of NIS, Mr. David Adi, same the mob-up exercise became imperative due to intelligence reports to the effect that many irregular immigrants had relocated to the state, without any means of livelihood.
He said: “There are specific laws that specify how they (immigrants) should come in. Our law says that they should come in with proper travel documents and through approved entry points.
“But the security reports available to us indicated that many of them are in Edo state and they came in through illegal routes.
“If we do not ease them out, they will constitute serious security threats to this country. All of us know the security situation. Some of them claim that they are from Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa or Kebbi. But we, as professionals, always fish them out.”
He said those found without proper travel documents would be deported to their home countries after undergoing a screening process to ascertain their nationalities.
According to him, those of them who are Nigerians will be released.
“Then, we will take those of them who are foreigners without proper documents back to their countries.”
