Nigeria Immigration Service, now cesspool of corruption – Group alledges

The Nigeria Diaspora Alliance for Good Governance (NDAGG) claimed it has documents showing that the Nigeria Immigration Service has now become the cesspool of corruption under its new leadership.

The group, which is a pro-Buhari cried out saying that the new acting Comptroller General, Mr. Idris Jere is currently rubbishing the anti-corruption fight if the documents at its disposal are anything to go by.

In a statement which was obtained by CAPITAL POST in Abuja on Monday, the Coordinator of the group, Mr. Oduma Akor, said they were armed with documents that shows that Mr Jere who headed the Finance and Accounts unit during the the former Comptroller General was involved in Passport racketeering, authority stealing and award of contracts to companies belonging to cronies, and frontiers.

Documents available to them shows he connived with the immediate past CG to carry out a wholesale financial sleaze while they are calling for his removal and prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“We have in our custody documents indicting the acting Comptroller General of Immigration, Mr Idris Jere, and it will interest you to know that some of the greatest financial heists in immigration occured when Idris Jere was in charge of finance and accounts of the service.

“We believe Mr President was misled into appointing Idris Jere as acting CG of the immigration service but it is not too late to correct the error”, the statement noted.

The group suggested that President Muhammadu Buhari should sack the acting Comptroller General and appoint fresh hand with military background from outside to steer the affairs of Immigration.

They argued that Nigeria Customs was doing well under Hameed Ali because he was brought from outside as an ex-top military officer, insisting that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) under the current administration is damn corrupt that would cause the nation a huge financial hemorrhage.

“Can’t you see what is going on in the Custom service? Because the man in charge is an achiever” Mr President has such powers. He should utilise same to save the country’s immigration service.

“Over the years, Immigration personnel who rose to become comptroller general of (NIS) have failed the system and it is high time Mr President act in the interest of the country.

Nigeria’s Immigration service officials seem to be emboldened in corruption under Idris Jere as CG”, the group alleged.

They noted that international passport racketeering was not only occuring at Headquarters of Immigration with Immigration Officers constituting themselves in touts, but it pervades across the State commands.

The group further explained that when one want to process international passport, immigration officers would first stop you at the gate and solicit for your patronage and at the end you will be surcharged, a situation they insisted that the anti-graft agency should wade in.

“While we urge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the acting CG, we demand that Mr Idris Jere must resign effective immediately without fail.”

They vowed not to treat the case of the Acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, business as usual, stating that failure to have him sacked or resigned as the case may be, they would mobilised citizens to hold a peaceful protest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Expressing deep concerns on activities of Mr Jere, the group averred: “Documents at our disposal further reveal inflated and non existent contracts awarded to fronts, incidentally, some of this happened when Mr Idris Jere was DCG in charge of finance and accounts.

According to them, Mr Jere was consolidating on the service to institutionalise corruption in the agency, while they cited cases of selective promotion of officers within the short time he took over that has left the NIS in bad shape.

“For example, promotion fraud within the service has taken dangerous new heights under Idris Jere” a female personnel of the immigration service who pleaded anonymity confirmed how senior officials harass junior female personnel for juicy postings. All these must stop. Mr President should come to our aid,” the group said.

The group explained that on January 1, 2022, during the protests, it will make available to the media documents on financial transactions done with companies without proper documentation under Mr Idris Jere’s watch.

When CAPITAL POST spoke with the Public Relations Officer of the Service, Mr Amos Ukpo through text message after he earlier refused to pick calls to react to the allegation against the Acting Comptroller General, he simply replied: “I’ll look out for the report, study it&respond thereafter. Thank you.”