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Martin Kure
Abeshi, NIS Comptroller General
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The Nigeria Immigration
Service (NIS) has threatened to publish the names of former Ministers,
Governors and members of the National and State Assemblies who are illegally in
possession of official and diplomatic passports soon. The Comptroller General
of the NIS Martin Kure Abeshi issued the threat while speaking at the Service
headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
President
Muhammadu Buhari on 7th September, 2015 directed the NIS to retrieve the
documents from all illegal holders, mostly former top public office holders but
the NIS Comptroller General said most of them were yet to comply with the
directive.
Daily
Trust report continues:
“I
am advising that those who have not returned these facilities [diplomatic and
official passports] should bring them because very soon, I will publish the
names of those who collected official and diplomatic passports.
“I
am not going to do it now; I want to respect them because they were once statesmen
in this country but I am advising that they should bring those passports in
their possession to the Immigration office now,” he said.
Former
public officials that were issued diplomatic passports include commissioners,
special advisers/special assistants, chairmen/deputy chairmen of local
government areas, all retired heads of parastatals and some retired public
servants.
Abeshi
noted that the passports could also be submitted to Comptrollers of the State
commands all over the country who have been mandated to collect the documents
from the illegal holders.
The
NIS boss however, revealed that over 200 passports have been retrieved since
this directive was given.
Meanwhile,
the Service has denied playing any part in the process that led to the issuance
of the Nigerian Visa to the wanted ISIS chief, Ahmed Al Assir in Lebanon.
“From
the record available, the Immigration Service did not issue that visa. It might
be the officials of the foreign affairs ministry because they also issue visa
on our behalf,” the NIS boss said.
He
however, said the NIS went into action to arrest those connected to Al Assir
immediately it gathered an intelligence that he was coming to Nigeria.
“When we were told that the
person [Al Assir] was heading to Nigeria, the people the man was coming to
visit were identified by our men. Our officers in Kano went into action and
arrested the two of them immediately and handed them over to the National
Security Adviser,” Abeshi maintained.
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