* CGI, Muhammad Babandede * Pix source: NIS
… Secures Forensic Data Machine
…Says COVID-19 Lockdown Was An Opportunity To Strategize
The Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Murtala Muhammed Airport(MMA), Lagos Command, said it processed 58,000 arriving passengers and 37,000 departing passengers between September 5, 2020, when the airport was re-opened after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown till date.
This is just as the Command also said that it now has Forensic Data Machine, which is used by NIS to verify passenger data.
The Comptroller of Immigration, MMA, Lagos Command, Musa Usman disclosed these while briefing a select journalist at his office at the international terminal of MMA, Lagos, today on the operations of the Command.
Speaking further Comptroller Usman explained that the Command repatriated 75 persons from different countries and that 22 foreigners were also denied entry into Nigeria by the service within the period under review
He added that they were repatriated for not only Immigration related offences but also for drug trafficking.
Usman also hinted that close to 60 intending travellers were denied travelling out of the country because they did not fulfil conditions for travelling.
To buttress his point, Usman wondered why a person going for work abroad would not have work permit and other necessary documents.
He also added that some the persons that were about travelling before they were denied do not have Basic Travelling Allowance(BTA) and that some who claimed they want to visit their brothers or sisters abroad do not have the addresses of their brothers and sisters when asked to provide their contacts.
Speaking further, the Comptroller also wondered why a traveller travelling abroad for a visit would not have a return ticket, adding that from all indications such person if allowed to travel may become liability to the host country.
The NIS, he said has started sensitizing passengers about travelling to prevent them from running into problems in their host countries.
According to him, “We don’t tell our citizens not to travel but we tell them why it is not advisable for them to travel”
On the lessons learnt from the outbreak of COVID-19 and lockdown, the MMA, Lagos Command said that that normalcy has returned to the sector and that COVID-19 lockdown has given the NIS an opportunity to strategize its operations.
The NIS Lagos Airport Command boss also disclosed that the service has created a platform that would discourage Nigerians from using multiple passports
