Two Indian nationals aged 29 and 32, illegally entered into Nigeria through the land borders without proper documentation after breaching security checks and COVID-19 protocols, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), disclosed on Sunday.
The Immigration was however silent on their mission to the country, but said the duo, both males whose names were kept under wraps, were intercepted during the screening of Indian nationals that were being evacuated from Nigeria through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, on Saturday.
“While profiling the men, it was discovered that they entered Nigeria through the land border and had visa on arrival application approval which they failed to present to the immigration officials at the border. The men had been in Cotonu, Benin Republic for a month and had the stamp of that country dated Feb. 9, 2020 when they left and entered Nigeria illegally.
They did not present themselves for immigration checks at the border and will be prosecuted according to the Nigeria Immigration laws to deter others,” Abdullahi Usman, NIS Comptroller in charge of the Lagos Airport Command said in a statement signed by James Sunday, Public Relations Officer for the command.
While noting that the Comptroller General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede, had warned migrants to desist from breaking the Immigration laws of countries of transit or destination, Usman said 446 India nationals were evacuated from the country on Saturday, as part of the ongoing evacuation of foreign nationals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
