Some Nigeriens who were among 82 illegal immigrants arrested in
different parts of Lagos State for being in possession of voters cards,
in a dramatic confession said they wanted to make money with the cards.
The Comptroller of Immigration, Lagos State Command, Justina Ahmadu,
without mincing words, said the foreigners would be repatriated
immediately.
The arrest and recovery of the cards by immigration
officers occurred as many Nigerians are insisting
that they were yet to
get their voters cards.
According to the foreigners, they had
succeeded in registering for voters’ cards, but were yet to get their
Permanent Voters Cards before their arrest.
According to them, they pretended to be Nigerians from North to get the cards.
Although their spoken English was halting, one of them, Mohammed, boldly expressed himself.
Mohammed said: “I’ve been in Lagos for close to four years.
“I came into the country in a truck conveying cows.
“My job in Nigeria is to supply water to residents who do not have access to boreholes.
“Many of us have temporary voters’ cards.
“We posed as Northerners because our names sound like theirs.
“Some of our friends said we should get the cards, that we could be given money during elections.
“We were unable to get our PVC because we were afraid to visit the
designated points due to regular visits of Immigration officers there.”
They further confessed to live under bridges and shanties in different parts of Lagos.
Ahmadu warned all foreigners residing in Lagos to stay away from the
country’s election, stating that it was strictly for Nigerians.
She
implored Nigerians to give information that would lead to the arrest of
illegal immigrants, adding that security was the responsibility of all.
She further said: “I appeal to those employing them, to ensure they
have their valid travel document the moment they employ them.
“They should make sure they procure their resident cards for them in order to qualify them to stay legally in the country.
“All foreigners residing in Lagos should also know that the forthcoming
election is Nigerians affair and as such, they should not meddle into
it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment