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Nigeria’s Immigration arrests illegal aliens, seize 6,216 PVCs, ID cards
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has arrested scores of illegal immigrants from neighbouring nations and seized 6,216 Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC) and the Nigerian national identity cards during a recent operation in the country.
The Controller-General of the NIS, Isah Jere, who disclosed this during a retreat for top management staff of the service on Wednesday in Abuja, said the operation was aimed at stopping the migrants from participating in this month’s elections.
He said: “The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has seized 6,216 Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) from some migrants in 21 border states across the country.”
The NIS chief added that 3,823 national identity cards and 2,393 voter cards unlawfully possessed by migrants were also confiscated by the operatives.
READ ALSO: NAIRA SHORTAGE: ‘Shun protest, use your PVCs to vote out APC govt’, Saraki tells Nigerians
“The vital documents were intercepted in Nasarawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, Yobe, Kwara, Taraba, Plateau, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Zamfara, Jigawa, Edo, Bauchi, Niger, and three other states.
“The cards were seized in ongoing operations to ensure that migrants from neighbouring countries did not participate in the forthcoming general elections,” Jere added.
He revealed those arrested by the operatives had since been returned to their countries in line with Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol on free movement.
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