The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mrs Kemi Nandap, has suspended the commanding officers responsible for the commands along the Lagos-Seme border corridor and ordered an immediate investigation into allegations of extortion levelled against personnel of the service operating in the area.
The service disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday and signed by its Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi, following the circulation of online videos and reports that brought to public attention the alleged extortionate conduct of immigration officers stationed along one of West Africa's busiest and most strategically important land border corridors.
Nandap, in the statement, described the conduct depicted in the reports as entirely unacceptable and said it stood in direct violation of the core values, ethics and operational standards that the service was built upon. The statement made clear that the suspension of the affected commanding officers was immediate and that the investigation ordered by the Comptroller-General was specifically aimed at identifying all officers involved in the infractions so that appropriate disciplinary measures could be applied without delay.
The statement did not specify the exact number of officers suspended or name the particular commands directly affected, but the scope of the action covered the commands operating along the Lagos-Seme corridor, the route linking Nigeria to the Republic of Benin at the Seme land border in Lagos State. The corridor is one of the most heavily trafficked entry and exit points in the sub-region, handling large volumes of commercial goods, cross-border traders and international travellers on a daily basis, and has for many years been a flashpoint for public complaints of harassment and extortion by border officials.
Nandap, who assumed office as Comptroller-General in January 2024 and had pledged at the outset of her tenure that her administration would be defined by discipline and public accountability, reiterated on Friday that the service remained firmly committed to delivering professional, transparent and efficient services at all points of entry and exit across the country. The service warned that it would not condone any act that undermined public trust or tarnished its institutional integrity.
Members of the public with information on misconduct by immigration personnel were urged to report such incidents through the service's official social media channels on X, Instagram and Facebook, all operating under the handle @nigimmigration, or by calling the service's 24-hour contact centre lines on 09121900655, 09121556359, and 09121477092.
0 Comments