Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is set to commence bio – metric data registration and documentation of migrant’s resident and doing businesses in Ogun state as part of Federal Government measures to tackle security challenges facing the country.
The Comptroller, NIS Ogun state Command, Doris Braimah made this known while addressing leaders and representatives of the various associations of ECOWAS citizens resident in the state during a sensitisation and awareness ahead of the e – registration of migrants.
Mrs. Braimah said the registration and bio-data capturing of the ECOWAS citizens is predicated on the need to have valid information about migrants in the country, and their contacts to ensure free movement across the country.
She added that the exercise is in compliance with the President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to the NIS Comptroller General, Muhammad Babandede to urgently commence electronic bio-data capturing of all migrants residing in the country within a window period of six months with effect from this month.
She allayed the fears that the exercise would lead to arrest and deportation of foreigners, urging migrants and their families to make themselves available for within the six months window period “without any penalty.”
According to her, any ECOWAS citizen visiting Nigeria and intends to stay beyond 90 days would have to make himself or herself available for the registration to avoid penalty.
The Comptroller warned any foreigner that failed to register with the NIS within the six months grace would face sanction.
“The registration is free. President Muhammadu Buhari has decided and granted amnesty of six months to all who entered the country without accurate documentation. The registration exercise will hold at our headquarters here in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta and for now, we are not going to arrest anybody,” she said.
She disclosed that the database generated through the exercise would be shared with other security agencies for easy tracking of anyone of them who may likely take to crime in the country.
