Diasporans Sponsoring Protests Already Watchlisted, Will Be Apprehended If They Enter Nigeria, Says Immigration Boss Nandap

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nanna Nandap, has revealed that Nigerians in diaspora who are responsible for sponsoring the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests are being watched, and will be apprehended if they make any attempts to get into the country.

Nandap said this in a press briefing forum set up by the Armed Forces of Nigeria to address the protests, as a spokesperson for the Department of State Services (DSS), Peter Afunanya, said that the service is beginning to arrest sponsors of the unrest which resulted from unruly protests in the Northern part of Nigeria.

The NIS Boss said, “Some of these sponsors, some of these people who are actually in diaspora, we have a number of them who actually are instigating this mayhem that we’re seeing right now. What we’ve done is we’ve had them on our watchlist, and they’ve been watchlisted. We have them on our radars, and we’re making sure that any attempt they make to come into the country, we’ll notify the necessary authorities.

“And we’re working closely, of course, with the NIA and the DSS of course, and the NSA’s office so that all those that we have in diaspora that are trying to subvert the authority of this nation, they are on our radar, we have them watchlisted, and any attempt they make to come into the country, we’ll be notified and we also know what to do. 

“We’ll notify the necessary authorities. So, in essence, we’re also making sure that everyone who is not supposed to come into the country, any person who is of interest in terms of these activities going on right now, we will make sure that as they come in, they’re handed over to the necessary authorities.”

Peter Afunanya then, speaking on the steps the DSS are taking to ensure peace, said, “The incursive and the destructive nature of the internet has expanded the landscape of global threats today that even conflicts that used to be inter are now intra, like what we are having now. We are not being faced with war by any country but internal uprising and all of that. So, you cannot rule out the interest of those who are sponsoring these kinds of persons.”

He then revealed, “We won’t cross our hands, we have arrested sponsors of those who did the flag, it’s not just that children are throwing flags or flying flags, no. If there is more to that, there are some aspects of our operation that we may not sit before the camera and begin to reel out, either because of their sensitivity, either because we are not supposed to say them now, or because there are ongoing investigations, and we may not say things that will jeopardise those investigations. But I can assure you, be patient with us, you will hear from us sooner than later. We are not sleeping over the issues, we will take it to the end.”

Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi

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