The Zamfara State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service on Sunday arrested 113 suspected illegal immigrants in a mop up operation conducted by the command.
Parading the arrested illegal immigrants, who were mainly from neighboring countries, the Zamfara State Comptroller of Immigration, Mr. Apollos Usman Onu, said that the arrest of the suspects was part of the routine operations by the NIS to rid the country of illegal immigrants.
“Though there is ECOWAS free movement treaty, but no Protocol says you can enter another country without proper documentation,” he said.
Onu said that the mop-up exercise, which was the first to be carried out this year, was part of the precautionary steps being taken to ensure that the security of the country was not compromised.
“Security is everybody’s concern. So, it is bad for anybody or group of persons to be sabotaging government’s efforts by harbouring those who enter the country without required papers. Harbouring irregular immigrants is compromising the nation’s security,” he said.
The state NIS Comptroller added that the 113 illegal immigrants were arrested in Gusau Local Government Area.
He added that the exercise would be extended to the remaining 13 local government areas to ensure that all immigrants in the state were properly documented.
