The Association of
Republic of Niger residents in Taraba State has warned its members
against participating in the ongoing voter registration.
Its chairman,
Mohammed Warsu, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Jalingo on Thursday
that he has told his people that the exercise was meant for only
Nigerians.
“I have also told them that participation of foreigners in the registration was a crime punishable by law,” he said.
He warned the foreigners against being used by politicians to commit any electoral atrocity.
Mr. Warsu added
that the association was monitoring its members in the 16 local
government areas of the state to ensure compliance. “So far, no single
case of violation of the warning has been reported” he said.
Illegal immigrants
On illegal
immigration, the chairman said all the members of the association on
his list possessed the ECOWAS passports, adding that the association
would continue to sensitise its members on the need to promptly update
residential permission.
But the Ondo State
Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service, on Thursday, paraded
illegal immigrants arrested in possession of voters card.
The Comptroller of
Immigration, Patrick Sessi, who paraded them in Akure, said they would
be repatriated immediately. He gave their names as Ofori Peter and
Rashida Abass (Ghanaians), Segun Daniel, a Beninoise, and Bob John, a
Togolese.
The Comptroller
expressed dismay over the attitude of some Nigerians who had been
aiding and illegally keeping those he referred to as “aliens”. He said
it was dangerous to keep such people because it would not be easy to
trace them when they kill or commit other crimes.
He said the
residents of some areas in Ile-Oluki/Okeigbo local government did not
cooperate with immigration officials while arresting one of the aliens
who allegedly stayed with them for so long.
“This is not the
issue of an illegal immigrant being kind, good or stayed long with our
people. It is a matter of complying with the law of the land; let them
regularise their stay so that we can trace them,” Mr. Sessi said.
He added that more
arrests were being made by his men and appealed for information that
would lead to the apprehension of illegal immigrants.
The foreigners,
while being paraded, said they had no immigration documents to enter
Nigeria and had not regularised their stay for many years. They said
they registered as voters because they had stayed for between 20 and 30
years and as such, regarded themselves as Nigerians.
Daniel, one of the Ghanaians, said, “I came to Nigeria about 30
years ago with my uncle who is now dead. We first settled in Oyo State
and I moved to Ondo few years ago. I regard myself as a Nigerian,” he
said.
