Immigration detains 378 undocumented migrants from four African countries

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) announced  the arrest of 378 undocumented migrants engaged in fraudulent activities across Ogun State.

According to a statement, the suspects were apprehended  on Wednesday at their hideouts during a joint operation by officers of the Ogun State Command and Zone A headquarters in the Lambe/Ajuwon Akute areas of the state.

Read also: Immigration Service apprehends 40 illegal migrants in Oyo

Speaking on the arrest, Muhammed Akadri, the Comptroller of the Ogun State Command, stated that the operation was initiated following credible intelligence reports on the activities of the suspects.

Akadri revealed that a detailed profiling of the suspects showed that 334 were Cameroonians, 27 were Ghanaians, 26 were Beninese, and one was Togolese.

Read also: 85 Nigerians set for deportation out of 201 Nigerians in U.S. immigration camps

Among them were 251 males and 125 females, all between the ages of 25 and 30.

“After profiling the suspects, we discovered that none of them possessed valid travel documents or residence permits,” Akadri stated.

“They all gained access to Nigeria through unauthorised border routes and could not present any form of identification during interrogation,” he added.

Deportation Plans Underway

The Comptroller further disclosed that the Comptroller General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, had ordered that all necessary legal procedures be followed to facilitate the deportation of the illegal immigrants to their respective countries.

“The directive from our Comptroller General is clear—we must ensure that due process is followed in their repatriation. This measure is part of broader efforts to tighten border security and regulate migration in line with national security objectives,” he added.

The recent arrests in Ogun State form part of heightened efforts by Nigerian security agencies to combat illegal immigration.

Just last week, the NIS apprehended 40 illegal immigrants in Oyo State. In a related development, the Minister of Interior, Tunji Olubunmi-Ojo, recently confirmed that a total of 828 illegal immigrants had been deported from Nigeria in an ongoing nationwide exercise.